III He Without Sin
by Eternal Love Song
Summary: Loki has a done a great number of wrongs in Odin's name. His last has resulted in being hunted by Asgard and has him once more playing the villain. But Loki is tired of playing Odin's games and intends on trying to right his most recent wrongs. It never occurred to him that there could be Midgardians on his side. And he certainly never thought that he would want them there.
1. Tony Has Questions

**A/N:** This is the third part of a series of stories. The reading order is as follows: I **Throwing Stones**, II **Blood From Stone**, III **He Without Sin**, IV **Sticks and Stones**, V **Gathering Moss**. This story is based on the premise I set up in "Throwing Stone" and "Blood From Stone". The story can make sense without reading those, but I recommend that you read them to understand the circumstances of how Loki got to this point.

* * *

Something doesn't make sense and Tony knows it, he just can't figure out what it is just yet.

The first days after the invasion everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as you'd expect things to be after an alien invasion, anyway. But then Tony started to notice that things didn't exactly add up the way he expected. The death count, for one. It was a startlingly low number, with more injuries than fatalities, and he knows it wasn't because of them. The Avengers were just six people who couldn't be everywhere at once at there were... a lot more than six aliens. He couldn't have said how many, hundreds he was sure, but he didn't have a count. There was no way that many outside forces didn't cause at least their own number in death counts, and yet, that was what happened. There was property damage aplenty, but that was it.

It was almost as if all the damage that should have been done to people was all expended on buildings and the like. Which made absolutely no sense. Aliens do not invade for the purpose of building demolition. (I mean, Earth construction couldn't be that offensive, could it?)

And more suspicious than the very low number of deaths, despite Tony being stuck on this first fact for a very long time, was the fact that many of the bodies just... disappeared. Literally, just vanished. One day there were alien corpses littering the streets and the next day the majority of them were gone. At first, this had been worrying. Were they just playing dead? Would their be a covert stage two to the plan? But then video footage was found that showed them just... disintegrating... or something... and that put that thought to rest. (Jarvis has cameras everywhere, so once he'd sense the footage himself, from his own servers, he was forced to concede that it was legitimate.)

So, too much property damage, too little death, and disappearing corpses. If Tony didn't know better, he'd think it was a conspiracy or a cover up.

Actually, Tony didn't know better. So yeah, he wondered if it was a cover up or something. It wasn't as if Shield was open about what they got up to. He couldn't find evidence of what was being covered up, though, and that was strange, because Shield was pretty transparent if you knew how to hack into their data bases and peruse their servers for private information.

So yeah, something was up, but he couldn't at all figure out what. And nothing annoyed him more than knowing that he didn't know something. (He didn't build an A.I into all of systems to keep watch over all his property because he was bored. Well, not _just_ because he was bored.)

It was for all these reason that during the next Avengers get together, because Fury couldn't stop himself from calling them all together, even though the archer never showed and Bruce never spoke and he could just as easily send an email, that Tony entered the room late loud, "Was the invasion a cover up?"

No has ever accused Tony Stark of having either tack or discretion.

The Widow was already sitting at the table with Captain America, both looking up at him but wearing vastly different expressions. The Widow narrowed her eyes at him, which could mean anything from 'how do you know our deep dark secret?' to 'Why are you annoying us this time?' and in all likely hood meant both, because knowing Shield secret seems to deeply annoy her. The Captain just looked confused, but what's new? He'd be confused too if he took a seventy year nap and woke up in the future. (A seventy year nap and waking up in the past would be even more confusing, but Tony tries to stamp down on these sort of tangents.)

Bruce was shuffling quietly in after, the two having been together at the tower, trying to put distance between them so that he wasn't caught up in whatever crazy thing Tony was doing. Joke was on him, of course, because everyone got caught up in the crazy things that he did, no exceptions.

Fury was standing at the head of the table, like always, looking angry and intimating, also like always. His typical frown turning into a scowl at Tony's outburst. "What are you on about this time, Stark?"

"The invasion," Tony repeated, because he knew that others had a hard time keeping up with him and he had to be patient with their slow minds, as he moved toward the table and took a seat. "Was it a cover up or something?"

Fury gave him a look like he thought Tony was stupid. "What would lead you to a stupid idea like that, Stark?"

"Minimal death, lots of destruction, and the disappearance of nearly all the invading alien bodies," He replied promptly.

The Captain frowned and looked toward Fury. Tony couldn't tell whether that frown was because he wasn't keeping up with the conversation or because he was suspicious as well.

Fury just sighed. "What would it be a cover of, Stark? You saw the portal yourself and the bastard that came through it. Shield couldn't have faked that."

"Maybe," Tony allowed, then added, "But did you?"

"No."

"Okay." He paused a moment, deciding to believe that before adding, "But you know that everything about this is kinda... off, right?"

Fury glanced to Widow for a moment before he decided to speak. "We did notice a few things that were strange, but we decided that they weren't really worth discussion."

"I disagree."

"You always disagree, Stark."

"Yeah, but this time I'm justified. I think when aliens invade and I'm one of the people that has to deal with it, I have a right to information. Not to mention, if this happens again, it would be better to have all the information available."

"Stark does have a point," Steve agreed. "If there's something else going here, I think that we should know about it."

Fury frowned at them a long moment, obviously debating whether or not he should say anything. After a long silence he spoke. "Several agents that were thought to be killed by Loki when he first came through the portal were revealed to be alive."

Tony and Steve just blinked for a few moments, that obviously not being what either of them expected. Steve spoke first. "Do you mean that they survived the attack?"

"No, I mean that he didn't attack them at all," Fury answered. "Apparently, their deaths were feigned and he simply took control of them the way he did Barton."

"But why would he pretend to kill them?" Steve asked. "He obviously didn't have a problem killing with what he did to Coulson."

There was something in the silence that followed that statement that made Tony sit up straighter. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Did Loki kill Coulson? Or was he one of the ones that were taken?"

"Neither."

"What the fuck does that mean!"

"It means what it means, Stark."

"You mean that you lied and manipulated us. Twice!" Tony yelled. "Anything else you're hiding? Is your name even Nick Fury?"

"Stark-"

"Are you my real dad? Swear to god, if you're my real father-"

"Stark!" Fury yelled. "Shut up."

Tony forced himself to be quiet for a moment. Joking could only calm him so much, but he absolutely being lies to and manipulated. It was one of the reason he could never really trust Shield. To many secrets, too much deception, too many assassins glaring at him across the table during meeting.

Said assassin chose that moment to speak up. "Loki did attack Coulson, but it wasn't a critical wound. When he examined his possessions we found a note in his pocket that reveal the location of the agents that were thought to be dead."

"And we weren't told this because..." Tony made a hand gesture indicating for them to get on with it.

"Because it was Shield business," Natasha replied.

"Bullshit! Doesn't any of this seem suspicious to you?"

"Yes," She replied calmly, offering no more information.

Steve had a severe frown on his face, obviously thinking, but Tony couldn't fathom what the Captain would come up with, especially when Tony himself was till contemplating a conspiracy. Then said something that mildly shocked Tony, on account of him not having thought of it first. "Is this why we haven't seen Agent Barton at the meetings?"

"Shit. What did you guys do with all those agents?" Tony asked quickly.

"They're being evaluated," was the curt answer they were given by the director.

"Something doesn't seem right about this," Bruce spoke up for the first time.

"Yes," Natasha said again, and Tony was already tired of her monosyllable, monotone answers.

"So let me get this straight," Tony begins. "Guy comes through a portal, pretends to kill a bunch of people that he actually kidnaps via mind control, gives us their location via sparing one of our own, and then doesn't put up a fight when he's taken back to his own planet or whatever. And let's not forget that someone who's mind he was controlling placed an off switch on the portal, which cannot be a coincidence."

"Plus the lack of casualties," Bruce added quietly.

"Yes, that." Tony paused, looking around at them all. "Is any one else feeling like a fool without knowing why?"

Fury sighed. "For once, it isn't just you, Stark. Something is wrong here, but we can't figure out what."

"Are we even sure he really wanted to take over the world?" Tony asked, mostly to be facetious, but after he said it, he had to wonder.

"What else would he want?" Steve asked.

"Million dollar question, isn't it?" Tony replied.

Steve frowned more. Tony was tempted to warn him about his face sticking that way, but displayed a rare moment of self control. "What have the other agents said. Do they remember much?"

"They remember everything," Natasha answered. "Or, at last, they say that they do."

"And what is everything?" Tony questioned.

"That's classified, Stark," Fury replied.

"How long have you waited to say that to me?"

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Natasha spoke up. "Whatever Loki wanted to do, he's gone now."

"Yeah..." Tony replied hesitatingly.

No one every accused Tony of knowing when stop, either.


	2. Introduction of Doom

There were a lot of villains on Midgard. This was something that Loki discovered right away. He had no idea how long he had been gone (time didn't tell very well inside a cell) and he had no way to check, really. It wasn't as if he'd had a need to inquire after the Midgardian date when he staged his attack. It could have been months or years for all he knew. (But it was not likely years, even though it sometimes felt like it had been forever.) He wondered if it had always been that way, if Midgard had had such a growing populus of power before his attack (the All-father must have seen something to set Loki against them) or if he had just opened the pathways of discontent.

He did not think that it would be too hard to hide here. Even if it had been, though, he had little choice. He had started something and he was determined to see it through. There were not many messes created in the All-father's name that he could undo, not many messes that he could clean, but this was a stain that could not be left alone. Thanos would come. He would come for Loki. He would come for the Tesseract. He would come to Midgard and the mortals needed to be ready, little though they could do.

And Loki had time on his side. Thanos had no quick way to travel, he had time. Just like his first trip to Midgard he learned what he could and now he had much more time to be thorough. He watched the heroes and their villains, he learned to operate in their world, and he planned. It would take longer for the All-father to be able to send anyone for him, but eventually someone would come. (_Thor would come_, his mind whispered, but he smothered that thought of equal hope and dread, unable to deal with the consequences of them.) So that was two separate forces that he had to contend with at least. Three, if he got involved with the Midgardians, which he had to do, in some fashion, he just wasn't sure how.

Loki had been on Midgard a month before Amora had turned to him. "Loki, what are we doing here?"

_Four,_ his mind automatically added. Four problems to deal with, that he did not know when they would manifest or how burdensome they would truly be. But he still had _time_. He only had time and Loki would have to change that.

Loki didn't usually like to be too straightforward, but he didn't have the time or inclination to be sneaky with Amora at the moment. They had been friends once, before Thor and her banishment came between them, and he had often times thought they could be so again given the chance. Now was not the chance. Now was a ticking time bomb he half waited to explode, but not-friends did not have to mean enemies. Not yet, at least. "Amora, what are you willing to do for me?"

Her green eyes were expressionless for a moment as she stared into his, before she replied. "What is this about, Loki?"

"Answer my question, Amora."

"What would you ask of me?" She asked instead and he could see the rise of suspicion in her eyes. It was a look he was use to seeing. He would always see that look, he was sure, he'd committed too many wrongs to hope to ever escape from it.

"There is no leverage to be earned here, Amora. You will either aid me or you will not. I am not going to play games with you this time."

"Everything is a game," Amora replied, practically spitting the words at him. "Isn't that what you always told me?"

"Yes," He answered. "But that does not mean that I have to play."

Amora studied him a while longer, her expression softening into one of confusion. "You are changed, Loki."

At that, Loki left out a bitter laugh. "No, I am not," He said, his chuckles turning dark. "I have lost something, but I am not changed." And that was the saddest truth of all. He had defied the All-father, but he was the same boy that had willing done all that was asked of him. The same boy that wanted desperately. It was only the thinnest thread of hopelessness that kept him from just giving in to Odin and hoping it wasn't too late. It was tiredness that kept him from trying to be sly now. He needed to save his strength for that later. He was certain that he would need it. He held Amora's gaze, his eyes asking plainly what he would not aloud. _'Are you my ally or aren't you?' _For once, this was not a game of lies. For all that lay between them, lies was not most common here. (Neither was truth, but Loki had to base his relationships on what he could expect to be wrong, not what was ever right.)

She repeated her question, softer this time. "What would you ask of me?" It was not an answer of 'anything,' but it was a concession of a lot. And she wasn't asking questions yet, either. She wasn't pushing him. It was more than he could hope for from most.

* * *

Loki's first opportunity arose in the form of a coincidence. There was an attack near a place that he and Amora were having a meal as he tried to tell the bare necessities of the plan he wanted to work towards. He decided not to tell her about Thanos, because if the All-father got to her, she would think it more helpful than burdensome to try and entreat his aid and Loki knew that Odin would not change whatever plan he had for dealing with the Mad titan, a plan that mostly involved the sacrifice of Midgard, and it would only end up with Amora earning more debt to her name. So he was vague when he spoke of the coming force, he neglected entirely to mention the Tesseract (no need to tempt betrayal, after all), and he told of his desire to enlist the aid of Midgards heroes.

It was as they were contemplating the best way to gain aid (or manipulate for it, should the need arise or the task prove more efficient) when the wall beside them exploded and a mechanical creature crashed through and landed near to them.

Loki and Amora moved toward the thing curiously, Amora lifting her hand as the green ting of her magic surrounded both her hand and the struggling mechanical creature as Loki kneeled beside it. "There's magic about it. Very Crude," He commented.

"Don't we know this one? The one with the mechanical beast was... Doom, yes?" Amora wondered as she looked down at the thing.

"Yes, you are right."

"What did he proclaim to want?"

"I do not know," Loki sighed. "What do any of them want? Attention and prestige and importance?"

"You are one to talk, Loki."

He let his lips curve into a bitter smile that she wasn't able to see. "I was a prince, Amora. I already had importance and prestige, aplenty."

"Hmm, yes. Funny that, two out of three, huh?"

Loki frowned, biting his tongue from making a biting comment or saying something that might give him away. Loki may still be desperate and raw after longing for Odin's affection, but he wasn't going to attempt to find it from Amora. (Or anyone else, if he had a say about it, which he indeed did.) Amora was with him for now, but he didn't expect it last. Loki was only as good as whatever he could offer someone (which was Odin never loved him, he could not offer anything to the All-father that he did not already have or that he was not already himself; it was why they both valued Thor so much more than either valued Loki) and while he was a prince of Asgard, he had much to barter with, but he had nothing on Midgard. More importantly, he had nothing that Amora would want and thus could rely on her too deeply.

"Curious, what have we here?"

Loki and Amora both turned to the man, or creature, they could not be certain, that stood in the hole that had been blasted. Covered completely in cloak and armor, the man took a few steps toward them and Loki rose to stand as he and Amora returned his appraising look. And they could feel the appraisal, despite not being able to see the man's face.

"Ah, you must be the creator of this," Loki gestured. "Clever thing it is, mixing technology with magic."

"Yes, it is," He replied. "And who are you to so appraise my creations?"

"I am Amora. This is Loki. We are of Asgard. And yourself?"

"You may call me Doom."

"Doom," Amora repeated. Her face showed pure scepticism.

"Victor Von Doom," The man amended.

"Ah, Victor," Loki replied, nodding. "We are mages, both. We are well versed in magic, less so in Midgardian technology, but we were not under the impression that anyone had the skill to begin merging them this way."

"No one else does," Victor replied assuredly.

"Could you answer something for us?" Amora ventured. "Loki and I were just wondering what it was that you were after. We had heard of you, of course, but your goal eludes us."

Victor didn't answer that. Instead, he took a few steps closer to them. "I'm much more interested in what your goals are. The last time we were permitted visitors to our planet, they were much more destructive and less interested in talk. At least, as far as I'm aware." The subtle shifting of his head told them that he was appraising them again.

"We are not all the same," Amora answered. "there are nine realms and infinite amounts of space, after all."

"Indeed there are," Victor responded with intrigue. Clearly he was interested in what he could learn from them, but they both knew enough to be wary. They also knew enough not to obviously glance at each other to convey their wariness or question their next action. One had to act certain in the presence of potential enemies (allies).

"Perhaps once you are done with..." Loki made a vague hand movement gesturing toward whatever calamity was happening outside their circle of conversation. They had very dutifully ignore the panic that had exploded around them when the imitation of Doom crashed into their establishment and likewise paid little attention to the sounds of chaos that they could hear outside. Loki already had a calamity to contend with, he didn't have time to clean up messes that Midgard should have it's own warriors to deal with. "We could have time for further discussion? I'm quite interested in how you accomplished this, amongst other things."

"Yes, I believe I have quite an interest in you, as well." Victor replied. "Would you releasing my bot?" Amora lowered her hand, the magic receding, and the creature rose and went to Victor's side. With an uninterested glance outside, Victor added, "I believe we have time to speak now. I am done here." He began walking away with the air of someone that expected others to follow. Loki smiled as he and Amora did just that. If nothing else, Midgardians amused him with their self assuredness, justified or not.

The two hung back a bit as they followed the man and Loki said lowly to Amora, where he was certain only her Asgardian hearing would allow her to pick up the words. "World domination or general destruction. No one with more specific plans just walk away from them so distractedly."

"Unless their is a better plan," Amora replied.

"Yes, that is why I said world domination," Loki replied. "There can always be a better plan for that."

"Or no good plan."

"Semantics," Loki said. "If there is not a good plan, there is always a better one."

Amora rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. If nothing else, Loki would enjoy this chance to spend time with Amora. Perhaps after whatever fallout came from her betraying him to the All-father, they could begin their friendship again.

* * *

Victor Von Doom turned out to be a very intriguing mortal.

The mortal took the gods to home in a country called Latveria where he was the ruling authority to a castle that he made his home. It was strong and sturdy enough to appeal to Loki's warrior side, very defendable against attack, and lavish enough to appeal to both his and Amora's sense of finery. (Loki was a prince after all and he was used to certain comforts. Just because he could go without them did not meant that he wanted to. Amora was simply spoiled and greedy, though she took exception to this comment when Loki made it.)

The mortal was a scientist, an inventor, and a witch all in one. They spoke in turns of magic and technology, teaching and learning in small doses, wariness on both ends. Loki spent more time with the man than Amora. He wanted an eye kept on the Avengers, lest they find themselves in trouble they were unable to get out of, and Amora took up the identity of a mortal woman and a residence someplace near one of the Avengers. When Loki enquired after her identity though, she refused to tell him, insisting he figure it out for himself if he wanted to know so badly. It was only a bit of teasing, but Loki added to the list of things that would become a problem later.

Victor extended his home to the both of them and Loki stayed in residence often, though he did take up several other residences, in case the occasion should call. One could never be too careful and it always paid to have an exit plan in place.

The three of them did this tentative dance around each other for a month before Amora and Loki decided to tentatively inform Victor of their plans. It was during a shared meal, something that they did often in the castle, if only to be certain of each other's location every so often. They all felt uneasy not knowing where the other were if they in-residence. After a shared look with Amora, Loki began, deciding not to play too much with words. "When we first met, you inquired after our goals. Do you still wish to know they?"

"It has crossed my mind, on occasion," Victor replied. Loki very much admired the smoothness of Victor's lies. They were all hyperbole, over stating or under, and so casual as to be difficult to catch in normal situations, which these were not. The lies themselves and the deliver were flawless, really, it was only the situation that gave him away. No man with otherworldly being as guest in his home is without curiosity or filled easily with trust. And neither Amora nor Loki forgot that this man held the occupation of villain.

Loki smiled, sharp and manic, filled with a glee that is tentative allies on Asgard always found alarming, but Victor seemed almost to expect. (Perhaps he expected Loki to be a villain and was disinclined to trust him if he acted otherwise.) A telling expression that meant the lie did not go unnoticed, but would be unannounced. "There is something that approaches your realm with destructive intent," Loki informed him. "We are here to try and eliminate it when he arrives."

"And why is it of concern to you?" Victor inquired.

"Yours is but the first stop in a long list of intended destructions," Loki explained. "I wish to eliminate this threat before it can gain momentum and move on to places I want to protect."

"This force is not one to be trifled with easily," Amora added. "It is for that reason that we wish to gain of Midgard's heroes, but that task is easier said than done."

"Oh," Victor questioned. "It would seem a simple enough task. Theses 'heroes' are always eager to fight in the name of defence."

"Yes, well, there are problems with delivering knowledge of the threat," Loki said simply.

Amora added, "Loki is not one for full disclosure and people tend to ask many questions and get suspicious with too few answers."

"And my word does not carry much credibility here."

Victor's eyes flashed with that piece of information, but he said nothing on the matter. That was the dangerous thing about Victor, he took note of everything and tucked it carefully away. Loki always had an affinity for liars and tricksters. Part of him wanted to take this man as an apprentice, but the wiser part of him held back, easily recognising how wrong things could go if this man gained too much of Loki's trust. He had an agenda, after all, his own plans that he was hoping the two of them would further and it would be unwise to give too much too fast. Loki suspected Victor Von Doom was not above crossing his allies if it gained him an advantage.

"It sounds as if you are in quite a bind," Victor said noncommittally.

"Midgard is in a bind," Loki replied.

"Which means that you are in a bind, as well," Amora added.

Victor hummed in response, but did not agree and the two let the topic drop there. Having Victor's aid would be his first victory, but he had time. He could play the long game.

* * *

Another month passed before anything more was mentioned about Loki or Amora's plight. The two gods had made a decent study of the heroes and villains that plagued this realm and learned more than sufficient use and manipulation of it's technology. Amora spent long hours complaining about how backwards and useless Midgard's technology was and Victor drank in every word, straining the useless comments to get a better idea of what technology in the rest of the nine realms was like, and Loki enjoyed seeing the light in the man's eyes as he realized the possibilities. It was a look he'd only ever seen in other mages, learning to break the boundaries with their magic. It was a look he used to share with Amora, when their friendship was still strong and growing. It made a matching glee rise in him and a matching wariness. Clever minds were both enthralling and dangerous, after all.

Loki began to spent time in Victor's lab, watching as he tinkered and experimented. At first, Loki wondered why he was being allowed to watch the man work, but when the subtle inquiries began about his physiology, Loki understood all too well. Victor would have to be watched, the man was much too curious and too clever. Loki distracted him with his own inquiries of Victor's projects, the bots in particular. Victor liked to gloat and that Loki could follow ramblings and add input about the magical working only helped.

"Victor, do tell me," Loki began out the blue during one of these sessions. "Do you intend to help when the time comes?"

The mortal did not answer for a long time and Loki didn't push, just watched as he leaned over one of his mechanical creations. It was nearly an hour later when Victor answered, "Yes."

Loki nodded, though the man still wasn't looking at him. "Even if you have to work with the heroes?"

"Yes," Victor answered without so lengthy a pause this time. "Though if I have to work with Reed Richards, I will kill him if given the opportunity."

"Hmm, I suppose I best not ask you work with him, in the case of a crucial moment where we need allies to not be killed off," Loki replied cooly. "Does this also mean that if I place the means of power in your hands, you will refrain from using it until after the coming threat."

Another long moment of silence followed before Victor replied, "Yes. I have seen you and the woman spar. With your strength and magic, any threat to you is something I would not have to contend with if I can send heroes out to fight it for me."

Loki chuckled at this. He enjoyed the company of this mortal vastly, even if he couldn't trust him over much. "Then will you help me with something and place your malicious intent off to the side a bit?"

Victor paused, putting down is instruments. "I'm listening."

Loki walked up to his side. "These heroes need to be tested. They need to be trained and they need to be strong. Fighting so infrequently won't have them where I need them to be. They need to be pushed."

"You want me to push them?"

"I want you to other each other," Loki amended. "Your creations are wondrous, Victor, but they could be better. Midgard's heroes are decent, but they are inexperienced. The more data you have to test against them, the more you can perfect your creatures; and the better adversaries they will have to fight against, the more the will have to push themselves to be stronger. Your creations are not mortal, they will have to rise above their abilities to fight against them, especially if you are able to configure your magic more strongly."

"I see why they call you Silvertongue, in the myths," Victor replied, looking away.

"Just because it is flattery does not make it untrue."

"No, but coming from a Liesmith, it very well could be."

"I do not lie, Victor. There are easier ways to get others to do as I wish if I am being insincere. Taunting, manipulating, those are faster methods. And there is better flattery if I need not both with truth."

Victor did not reply, then he turned to face Loki fully. "I looked after you, Liesmith. You lead a failed invasion."

"Yes," Loki replied without hesitation.

"Why?"

Loki paused only a moment before speaking the half truth. "It was a test of Midgard's strength."

"You do not plan to tell me?" Victor was looking at him closely. Loki looked away.

"I will only say that my motivations then are not my motivations now, but I wish not to discuss it. Will you aid me or not, Victor?"

"Yes." He answered. "It is not everyday that one gets to work with a god."

Loki peered tentatively at the mortal, wondering if there was a trick to be had here. Finding none, he smiled. "Good. I want you to focus on the Avengers. They have proven themselves of worth to me once, I'd like them to do it again."

"This is what it's like to have the attention of a god," Victor said musingly. "It is always and trials and misfortune, whether you are favored or despised."

"Ah, but the fall comes much faster and harder if you are the enemy of a god," Loki replied. "Worry not, I watch over those that I favor."

"And do you favor myself?" Victor asked. "Or do you favor the Avengers?"

"Have you ever known a god to answer that question?" Loki smiled. "There is truly only one way to find out, you know."

"And how is that?"

"Simple. You pray, and if your prayer is answered, then you are favored by the god that you inquired to."

"But gods do not answer every prayer."

"Yes, the dilemma of the divine," Loki laughed. "Do you plan to help me Victor?"

A reluctant smile seemed to tug onto the mortal's lips. "Yes."

"But do know, Victor, that I will not have any of the Avengers killed. No matter what grudges you may harbor or gain, they are to live, you understand." Loki set a very serious glare against the man, promising the worst of pains if he were not heeded. Divine retribution and righteous fury, and Victor understood what it meant to be favored by a god by the strength of that look alone. Regardless of the reason, the trickster had promised protection to the heroes, and he intended to heed that promise.

"And what if I am menaced by them?" He asked, simple to change the topic from the fierce look on the gods face.

Loki's face smooth out into a smile as he sighed. "Oh, Victor, do you think me so fickle? I do not forget those that aid me."

Victor suddenly felt the enormous weight of having a god in his home, working with (for) such a being, and realized how dangerous this was. But Victor Von Doom had always thought himself a god among men, anyway. It was about time he had proper company.

* * *

**A/N: **A word to impatient people. This story, while not complete, is already several chapters in and I'm updating it slowly while I try to eta out the kinks. If you don't want to wait, this story is also uploaded on AO3: /works/2307608/chapters/5077505 Feel free to go there to read it all at once. (Past chapter 20 so far.)

Also, don't hesitate to voice any questions or comments. I love them and they inspire me.  
(This chapter actually tells you who gets the most screen time in this story.)


	3. Steve's Chapter

It was a few hours before dawn when Steve decided to leave his apartment for his morning run. He was always an early riser, partially military conditioning and partially natural inclination. Steve was a morning person. What he was slowly finding more and more, to his delight, was that his neighbor, Sharon Carter, was an early riser as well. He didn't always come across her when he left for his morning runs, but he was always happy when he did. He had fallen into something of a solitary life, spending most of his time on missions for Shield or fighting with the Avengers, but not much interacting with them otherwise. It left him little time for socializing.

This was one of his lucky days. When he left his apartment Sharon was at her door, fiddling with her keys. "Hey, good morning!" He called to her.

She started a moment when she looked up to him. "Oh, Steve. I didn't realize... it's that time already, is it?"

"Are you just getting in?" He asked. "I didn't think you were the type to stay out all night."

She laughed. "Oh, it's nothing like what you're thinking. I travel a lot. I just got back from visiting a friend of mine and I caught a late flight."

"Oh?" He frowned a moment. "Where are your bags?"

She lifted a small shoulder bag and held it out in reply. "I've learned to travel light. My friend..." She shook her head in a fond exasperation. "Whenever we visit him, he always insist he pay for whatever we need. He has a really big house and he keeps rooms made up for us. He's... impossible, but generous." She laughed a little.

"You said we," He pointed out.

"Oh, it's usually the three of us. Not always, but as often as possible." She smiled again. "Hey, if you can hold off on your run a few minutes, I'd like to join you. Just give me some time to change."

"Sure."

She didn't keep him waiting long and a few minutes later, the two of them set off. He mostly kept a steady pace, not trying to outrun her, but she subtly sped up every so often until they were at a full run. She kept a few steps behind him, but her pace was steady and after a few laps they were both catching their breath. "Geez, I didn't think you would give such a work out." She told him with a tired smile.

"You asked for it," He replied with a return smile. "You kept up really well, though."

"Yeah, well, I thought that I was in good shape," she said, playfully knocking her shoulder against his, "Until somebody decided to put me through the ringer."

"You did really well!" He insisted.

"Don't think I don't know that you were holding back on me."

"Not as much as you think."

They shared a mutual smile a moment before the sound of an explosion could be heard nearby. They both stood up straighter, looking in the direction of the attack.

"Duty calls," He said to her.

She nodded at him. "Be careful, Captain."

* * *

Over the last few months there had been an increasing number of attacks by someone named Dr. Doom. Steve was getting sick of it. But what was really bothering him was Stark during and after the battles. This man wasn't a soldier and Steve understood that, but he didn't even act professional! It was starting to really irk him. Then again, Steve got the impression that Stark had that impact on everyone, and that he liked it.

"I'm just saying," Stark repeated as they all sat down in the meeting room on the Helicarrier. "It's starting to get really suspicious. I mean, it was strange that no one was really hurt the first couple times, but people are starting to say they were told to evacuate. And if it isn't you guys-"

"It's not, Stark." Fury snapped.

"-then it's really weird."

Fury just let out an exasperated breath. "Don't you think we know that already, Stark?"

"Yeah, but you don't seem to be doing anything about it," Stark concluded.

Steve decided to interject. "Look, Stark, I'm sure their looking into it."

"Of course you are." And something Stark's tone prickled at him.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Steve asked.

Stark just shrugged. "You're a soldier. You listen to what they tell you and follow orders like a good minion, but you don't ask questions. It doesn't surprise me that you aren't interested in finding out what's wrong here."

"Nothing is wrong here!" Steve yelled. "Any day that people aren't killed is a good day to me and whatever's keeping them alive is a good thing. What, are you trying to stop it?"

"No, but don't you want to know why?" Stark threw back. "Why Doom keeps attacking? Why no one is getting injured? Hell, why he's so focused on us? If anyone else even attempts to enter the fight, the damn things just ignore them until we show up! Doesn't that concern you at all?"

"Of course it does, but I'm sure it concerns Shield just as much!"

"Does it?" Stark turned back toward Director Fury when he asked this.

Fury was silent a moment. Natasha was peering at him from his right and Barton was quiet in his seat, watching them all. Banner was absent. He only got involved in the heavier situations. After a look at all of them, Fury answered. "Surveillance has whoever is doing the evacuations as NYPD, but facial scans haven't gotten any hits from registered officers and it's never the same face twice."

"So what does that mean?" Steve asked, calmer.

"Put simply, we don't know," Natasha answered. "We're still looking into it."

"Of course," Stark muttered.

:Look, Stark, we're doing what we can. If you have a problem with it, feel free to look into it yourself and do a better job." Fury growled.

Stark was silent at that. They all knew he'd been doing just that and hadn't come up with anything more than the rest of them.

"If there isn't anything else," Fury said and they were dismissed shortly after that.

* * *

Steve lingered in the meeting room a bit before leaving. Stark was having what looked to be a very reluctant conversation with Hawkeye and it occurred to him that he really hadn't talked to the man outside of missions. Really, he hadn't even seen the archer outside of missions at all, not even at these meetings. This was the first time he'd made an appearance. It made his mind wander to Stark's inquiries about the agents that Loki had taken control of those months ago.

"Hey. Everything okay?" Natasha questioned beside him.

"Yeah. Just thinking," He answered absently. "There are lot of questions that don't seem to have answers."

"Shield is looking into it," She reminded him.

"I know," Steve replied. "Doesn't stop me from thinking about it, though." He turned to face her fully then. "Hey, um... you and Agent Barton are close, right?" She didn't answer, just raised an eyebrow at him. "I just wondered... if he was doing okay?"

"He's doing fine," She answered and her voice, which had been slightly concerned a moment ago, went entirely flat.

"I just... noticed that we haven't seen much of him."

"We don't see much of Dr. Banner either," She pointed out, defensive even if her tone didn't show it.

Steve contemplated this for a moment before speaking. "We should do something together as a team. We hardly see one another outside of missions."

"What's this!" Stark perked up from the other side of the room. "Cap wants to be social?"

Steve frowned at him. "I'm social."

"Course you are," Stark replied easily, smile still on his face. "Alright, what's everyone doing right now?"

"Now, Stark?" Barton complained behind him. "You really don't have any impulse control, do you?"

"No time like the present!" He was grinning madly. "Also, I want to show off. Stark Tower's been rebuilt, better than new! I say we have pizza and help Cap catch up on modern times with a movie marathon."

"You're a child, Stark," Natasha told him.

"And you're an assassin, but you don't see me making fun of you for killing people with your thighs," He returned.

"That's 'cause she'd kill you with her thighs," Barton interjected.

"Ha! I wish!" Stark proclaimed. "She wouldn't dare wrap her thighs around me. My ghost would come back to haunt her just so I could gloat and make jokes about how she wants me."

Natasha gave him an unimpressed stare. Stark just grinned wider.

"You can feel the sexual tension. You don't have to hide it. Just say the word."

"Oh, can I do the honors," Barton perked up. "The word is attack. Get him, Nat."

"You don't have to feel left out," Stark placed a hand on his shoulder, which Barton stared at with the same unimpressed look Natasha had given him. "Trust me, there is always enough Tony Stark to go around. In fact, I'll call up Bruce. Team orgy in ten. Just to even things out, I'll even call Pepper."

"I think this idea has officially gotten out of hand," Steve interrupted, his face completely red.

"Don't worry, Cap, two assassins and Pepper, very discreet. The public will never know."

"You aren't known for keeping secrets, Stark," Barton complained.

"But Pepper is," He insisted. "Plus, half the press think I'm sleeping with all of you anyway."

"What?" Steve rose from his seat at that.

Stark shrugged. "Calm down, they're just rumors. The media thinks I sleep with everybody."

"You do," Natasha interjected.

He snorted. "Then why aren't you in my bed."

"You couldn't pay me enough, Stark."

"First of all," Stark held up one finger and gave her pointed look, "I'm a billionaire, so I totally could. And Second," he held up another finger," You have a very lax definition of 'everyone' if you're already excluding people. Minus two points for you."

Natasha rolled her eyes at that.

"Movies sound good, count me in," Barton said standing. "I need to get out of here, anyway," He muttered lowly.

Steve sent him a concerned look, which was either unnoticed or ignored. Stark placed his hands on his shoulder and guided the archer toward the door. "Anyone's who's coming hop on the Stark express!"

"I know where the door is," Barton complained.

"Shut up and walk!" Tony replied.

Steve shook his head as he and Natasha followed them out.

* * *

It turned out to be much more fun than Steve thought it would be. Stark kept up a running commentary on all they watched until Barton got fed up with it and put tape over his mouth, and Stark pouted until the end of that movie once he'd gotten the tape off. Dr. Banner remained mostly withdrawn, but occasionally was drawn into conversation Stark. Natasha was mostly quiet, but took most opportunities to take subtle (and not so subtle) digs at Stark. Barton was more vocal than Steve had expected and there was a rich back and forth with him and Stark.

Stark tried to cajole them into staying over and despite a few comments about sleepovers and childishness directed at Stark, they all ended up staying.

Steve was the first up, use to rising early for his runs, and he was too restless to stay once up. After scribbling a note that he was going back to his own place, he slipped into the elevator.

"Where are you going?"

Steve jumped, turning around quickly to see Natasha standing behind him, looking amused to see him startled. "How did you..." He began, but decided to ignore the fact that she somehow slipped unseen into the elevator with him. "I'm going back to my apartment, then on my run."

"Want company?" She asked.

"Sure."

Natasha gave him a ride back to his apartment, where he was surprised to Sharon standing outside in the hall. "Oh, just getting in?" She inquired with a smirk.

He flushed recognizing his own words being thrown back at him. "I stayed with a friend."

"You don't say," She smiled wider. "My, out all night! What a wild one you are." Sharon teased.

He flushed deeper at her teasing tone, but responded with a smile of his own. "Were you about to go on a run?"

"Well, you might think me silly, but I was actually waiting for you." Sharon threw a quick wink at him. "I find it more enjoyable to run with company."

He smiled quickly in return. "Just give me a minute," He told her. He changed quickly and came back out, giving a her a another smile.

"Did you have a good time last night?" Sharon inquired. "I never hear you talk about your friends much."

They talked on their way out of the building and Steve was surprised to find Natasha waiting for him in a running outfit. He spared a moment to wonder at her change, but decided to brush it off. He moved between them to begin introduction. "This is my neighbor, Sharon. Sharon, this is-"

"Natalie," Natasha interrupted, holding out her hand with a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you."

Sharon smiled in return. "Lovely to meet you, as well. Are you one of the friends that kept him out so late?" She asked good naturedly.

"It took a little prodding, but we all thought he could stand to catch up on a few movies."

"Maybe I'll try to contribute to that. Any recommendations on what I should show him?"

Steve felt the tension between them, but he wasn't certain why. Still, he decided to try and diffuse whatever the situation was. "We should get on with our run, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, let's." Sharon replied with a smile.

Sharon remained her usual cheerful self as they ran, but Natasha remained tense, watching the other woman closely. Steve thought it strange, but he didn't have time to think on it long before Sharon distracted him with questions about his time last night and they fell into friendly conversation. Natasha mostly remained quiet. Sharon stopped earlier than last time they ran, panting heavily.

You okay?" He asked her.

"I think I'm out for the day," She told him apologetically. "Sorry, you have to carry on without me."

He frowned in concern. "Are you sick? Before-"

"No, no! Don't be worried about me," A small self conscious smile graced her lips and she glanced at Natasha. "I just don't think I can keep up."

"You should probably go home and rest," Natasha spoke up for the first time. "You wouldn't want to push yourself."

"Of course," Sharon answered. "I'll, um, see you around Steve."

Steve watched as she took off back toward their apartments and once she was out of sight, Natasha spoke. "What do you know about her?"

"Not much," he answered. "She's my neighbor, but we don't see each other that much. Mostly we just catch each other coming or going."

"So this running thing isn't a normal occurrence?" She pressed.

"Not yet." He turned to look at the small red head beside him. "Is something wrong? Do you not like her?"

"We don't know much about her," Natasha admitted.

"Well I've only just-"

"I don't mean you," She interrupted. "I mean Shield."

Steve huffed at that statement, anger filling him. "Does Shield look into everyone I talk to?"

"When they live next to you, yes," She replied. "All of the Avengers are monitored to some extent, but you're the most vulnerable Steve. You don't know anything about the world you live in. Shield just wants to watch out for you."

"You mean control me."

"Is it so wrong to try and keep you safe?" Natasha asked sincerely.

"It's wrong to dig through my private life to do it." He paused to look directly into her eyes. "And it's wrong to hide behind Shield instead of doing things yourself." With that he continued with his run leaving a stunned Natasha Romanov behind.

* * *

Most people might call Captain America stubborn, but they wouldn't call him spiteful. Typically, that would be right, but Captain America didn't do spite the way that other people did. For The Captain, spite was spending more time socially with his neighbors (and strangers alike) because one of his friends upset him with their overprotectiveness. Spite was asking Tony Stark to cheek his apartment and remove any Shield related tech that may be lingering around without his permission. (Of which he discovered there was a lot.) Spite was refusing to accept a ride from a certain red head assassin that tried too hard to keep an eye on him.

For Captain America, spite was rebellion.

"You shouldn't be doing this," Natasha said to him, having caught him on his return to his apartment after a run with Sharon, something that was becoming increasingly common. He hadn't avoided the assassin, but he had shrugged off Shield's hand from his shoulder and some part of her seemed to take that personally.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," He argued.

"You're being reckless."

"No. I'm being normal."

She narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "You aren't normal, Captain."

"That doesn't mean I can't live normally," He responded.

"It does," She answered. "You just can't see it, yet." She left before he could answer, but he didn't know what sort of answer that statement warranted anyway.


	4. In Which, Shapeshifting

Loki had taken up a routine involving the Avengers and watching over them. Whenever Victor was planning an attack, he would go to their city to check in on them a few days before and linger to watch them for a few days after. Amora was usually with him during these times, as herself and not whatever disguise she used to keep an eye on the Avengers when he was not around. She was still playing the game of secrecy and he didn't mind indulging her. She told him what she was up to, after all, just not who she was when she did it.

Loki had taken to wearing his female form when he was out. He tried to pretend it wasn't because it was as much a relief to change forms as it was a disguise to get by. Male Loki had been conditioned to be a warrior, to be strong, to be an imitation of Odin and Thor. (Not that he ever got the trick right.) Female Loki never had such restrictions placed on her. Loki felt a little more like he could do what he wanted. The pressure slipped off his shoulders like water and he could breathe.

He used a different disguise when he was 'working' of course. A new face each time he had to convince the mortals the flee the scene chosen for an attack. The first Victor had learned of this, he'd given Loki an odd look, but it was only after it had happened a few more times that he made any comment upon it.

"I was not aware that you were so concerned with mortal lives," He's said off handedly.

Loki sensed the trap. Victor knew that Loki and Amora were stronger than him, both in physical and magical terms, but he was always looking for a weakness. It was pragmatic to do so and Loki felt himself become tense at every reminder, just as he admired the mortal a little more. "It won't do me any favors in the long run if I kill off more mortals," He answered. "It will only reduce the credibility of my words."

"Perhaps," Victor replied, "But is that why you spare them?"

"No," Loki answered. "Not entirely. I can kill when I must, if it will further my goals, but I feel no need to do so wantonly."

He could feel Victor's scrutiny despite the man being hidden by his armor. "Is that so..."

Loki sighed. "I am not judging you, Victor. It is no problem to me what gains you pleasure. I do not tell you how to treat those you lord over in Latveria. You need not be so wary. I am whatever I need to be. A warm flame to keep the mortals protected and give them light, or an ice storm that coldly freezes all that I may touch. Is it so hard to understand?"

"No," the man answered. "But not something that I have come to expect."

Loki smiled indulgently at him. "I am a god. Do not expect that you can fathom me so easily."

Victor did not make mention or complaint about Loki's actions later, nor did he aid in them. Which was fine. Loki was used to going it alone. He was use to doing the thankless necessity. And he knew if the mortals were to learn who he was, he would not be thanked. Amora made little comment on it either, except to say that he went to far too much trouble for such ungrateful creatures. She was not wrong, but she was not right either.

It was a coincidence when he ran into Amora's disguised form. He was on a walk in the early hours, surveying where Victor planned his next attack and mentally evaluating how many establishments he needed to evacuate and how many clones he would need to do it, when he spotted her. He was able to recognize her right away, running beside the good captain with a red headed assassin tailing them. He was as inconspicuous as he could be as he moved toward them, knowing that if he used magic Amora would be onto him quickly. He stayed long enough to learn her name and then took great pleasure in revealing that he'd found her out later.

It was not long after this that Loki showed his female form before Victor for the first time. He was tense, because he was comfortable in this form and didn't want that to be interpreted as weakness, but also unwilling to change at that moment, but the mortal didn't comment. There was a tense moment of scrutiny when Loki had first entered the room and the more suspiciously inquired, "Loki?" At Loki's confirmation, he seemed to relax (as much as the man was ever relaxed around Loki) and nothing changed aside from Victor referring to him as a women when viable.

Loki also got the impression of immense curiosity the more times that Loki appeared as a female, but Victor was always curious about Loki anyway.

The man had stared at him with an open look of wanting and undisguised curiosity the first time Loki turned up in an animal form that he almost wondered if the man would try to physical haul him off to his lab for study. (Victor did no such thing. He was not a fool.)

It was during one of these times that Loki was working, halfway through clearing an area about to be attacked (he liked to do it as quickly as possible and that meant multiple clones all at once, enough that it had made him dizzy the first few times he'd tried) when he was approached by Shield. He was between surprised and pleased when Agent Coulson approached him. He hadn't thought that Shield would try to talk to him directly when they tried to figure out what was going on, but he should have suspected this move would come when they didn't find out anything. (Well, he did expect it, but not so soon.) He was happy to find that the agent was alive and well, as Loki had intended him to be.

"Excuse me, can I moment of your time?"

Loki was in a female form, a little similar to Agent Romanov, if he thought about it. Short and red haired, but with the darkest of eyes, and the uniform he wore to imitate the authorities hugged an immodest amount of curves. Loki smiled a little. "I'm actually in the middle of something," she replied.

"Yes, I can see that," Coulson replied. "If you tell us what you are doing we could be of help."

Loki titled her head as he watched the man, curious. He wondered what conclusion the organization had come to. She put a hand on her hip and gestured to the right. "Three blocks down, and four blocks over," she said, because Coulson would obviously know that he was evacuating the area, otherwise why her approach at all. "This is mostly estimation, of course."

"Of course," He replied. He spoke quickly into a communication device in his ear, relying Loki's words and quietly speaking orders. Loki dismissed her clones, relieved not to have her magic so wide spread anymore.

"Two hours," She added as an after thought.

Coulson nodded and spoke into the device again before returning attention to Loki. "You really cut it close, don't you? It's not easy to evacuate an area that size in such a time span."

"It's also not easy to keep people away if you go in too early and they wander back out of curiosity." Loki shot back.

Coulson nodded to acknowledge this fact. "Now that that is taken care of, may I have a moment of your time?"

"I find I cannot agree to such a thing without knowing who you are and what it is that you want from me."

"Agent Phil Coulson, from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," He answered, holding out a business card.

Loki hesitated only a moment before reaching out and taking the card, looking at it critically. "A... government agency."

"Yes, can we talk?"

"If we must, but I refuse to go anywhere with you," Loki replied. "I will only talk to you in a public place and I will leave before the two hour mark is up." Loki looked around a moment. "Outside the evacuation area."

The two of them walked no more than a block away and Loki kept an eye out for covert agents. She spotted only a few of them, but she knew there were more. It was troublesome, but there were spells aplenty to hide her from the humans if she needed. They went into a cafe, taking a seat near the door where they both had clear sight of it.

"Is it too much to ask for your name?"

Loki paused in consideration. "Call me Lockley."

"Your full name?" He inquired again with a raised eyebrow.

"You may call me Lockley or nothing at all," She stated firmly.

Coulson accepted this with a frown. He leaned forward slightly. "I'd like to inquire about why you were instigating a massive evacuation."

"I'd think you would know."

"I'd like you to tell me."

She pursed her lips before answering. "To save lives."

"From what."

She sat forward, folding her hands on the tabletop. "Have you noticed, Agent Phil Coulson, that whenever there is an attack by a... more powerfully inclined individual, there is often a great amount of collateral damage? In such instances, it would be beneficial if we could change that, don't you think?"

They both paused in their conversation as a waiter approached, placing simple orders and waiting until she returned with their drinks before speaking again. Neither of them touched the drinks.

"How do you know that the attacks are coming?"

"I don't always know," She answered.

"But when you do know?" He pushed. "Is someone feeding you information? Telling you when to do this?" He waited for an answer, when none came, he asked again. "Miss Lockley, who do you work for?"

"Why must I work for anyone?"

Coulson frowned, holding her gaze. "Miss Lockley, I'm afraid that you aren't giving me much information to go on."

"I do not know what to tell you, Agent. What I do, you cannot do it."

"Are you a mutant, then?"

Loki tilted her head to the side. "And what if I were?"

"Miss Lockley, I am not here to frighten you," He assured.

"Why are you here?" She asked him.

"For answers."

"What if I cannot give them?" Her eyes flickered to a clock on the wall. "I believe I have given you enough of my time."

"It hasn't been two hours," He pointed out.

"Yes. I said I would leave before two hours had passed." Loki moved to stand but Coulson placed a hand on hers. He held out another business card, this one with a list of different phone numbers.

"Let's stay in touch, Miss Lockley."

She glanced at his hand on her before taking the card. "It was nice to meet you, Agent Coulson."

Loki walked to the busiest place that was nearby before casting the spells that would her hide from sight. Better they think they lost her in a crowd than she disappeared too abruptly. It would be beneficial to have contact with Shield, but only if she could control it. She didn't need them too suspicious and she needed time to decide how she could best use this opportunity.

* * *

The next battle Loki was involved in she came upon by accident. They were mutants, some of them were distinctive enough to be certain of that fact, either through infamy or mutation. She had been walking about unseen when she saw the disturbance and it seemed as good an opportunity as any to get a better look at the group.

It was slightly less useful than she anticipated. The battle was pure chaos and she had a very hard time trying to tell who was supposed to be the hero and villain in this particular game, though one side looked slightly more uniformed than the other, that wasn't a good indication. What did catch Loki's attention was among those fleeing the destruction around them. One moment a man was hurrying along, the next moment she saw a flash of blue skin and a child was weaving through the crowd.

For a moment Loki completely froze, uncertain what to do with the sudden reminder of her own skin. She swallowed hard, conflict building in her until a sudden explosion rained down near the child form. The attack had clearly been meant for another, but she watched as the small body was tossed aside, laying still and injured. Loki didn't do much thinking at that point, just moved to the child's side and teleported them both back to one of her nearby apartments.

The child woke while Loki was still healing her. She sat up in surprise and moved away and Loki let her magic drop despite the injury not being completely healed. She was in her more natural female form, waves of dark hair and bright green eyes. She didn't want to intimidate the thing, whoever or whatever it was.

"Wh-who are you?" The child asked.

"I mean you no harm," Loki answered instead. "I saw you injured during the battle and I wanted to help you." The child looked down then, seeming to notice the lack of injuries she beheld. "May I finish healing you?"

"You can heal?" The child questioned.

"Yes." Loki moved forward and placed a hand on the child to continue with healing. The contact wasn't completely necessary, but it certainly eased the way.

"Are you a... a mutant?" The child asked in a nervous voice.

"Would you like it if I were?" Loki questioned. "It certainly seemed as if that is the case for you, if I am not mistaken."

The child knocked Loki's hand away and stood, transforming into the blue form that she'd briefly seen earlier, looking ready to attack.

"I told you that I do not wish you harm," Loki said. "I can change as well." Upon saying, Loki shifting form to that of a cat. Loki sat up in the regal way that only cat's could, looking imperiously upon the woman that stood before him. "I must admit to knowing very little about mutants, so do forgive me if I say something untoward."

Her eyes were hard as she glared at him. "So you aren't a mutant, then?"

"That is not what I said," Loki replied. "I said that I am not well informed."

Her glare persisted, but she dropped out of her attack stance and Loki returned to his female form.

"You are a shapechanger, then?" Loki questioned.

"Yes. And it looks like you are, too."

"That is a correct statement. What may I call you?"

"Mystique. What about you?"

Loki debated for a moment before answering. "Well, what would you like to call me?"

"Strange," she replied right away.

Loki laughed. "A name no more odd than yours."

Mystique's eyes darted around the apartment, taking in the white carpet and furnishing, looking to the open kitchen area. Loki didn't know what possessed her to get white furnishings, but it made her feel calm to look around the room. Clean, stainless, unlike Loki. She swallowed back the feelings of loss that threatened to rise within her.

"Why did you bring me here?" Mystique asked finally.

Loki smiled sheepishly at her. "It was a whim actually. I caught a glimpse of blue inbetween you changing forms and then I saw you injured. It was impulse, really, to get you away from the battle so that I could heal you. It didn't look like you were apart of it, but... were you? You don't have to lie if you were. I don't know why that fight was happening so I have no reason to judge either side."

There was a long moment of Mystique staring at Loki. "I'm hiding from someone," she answered. "Guess I wasn't hiding well enough."

Loki nodded at that answer. "If it would help, you could hide here."

Mystique narrowed her eyes again. "Why would you help me?"

Loki met her gaze when he answered. "I'm hiding from someone, too," She said softly. "I understand the need to have a safe place."

Mystique let her eyes drift back to the furnishings of the apartment. "He found me before. It's only a matter of time before he finds me here again..."

"What if you are not here?" Mystique looked at Loki questioningly and Loki went on. "I have a friend I stay with most of the time, out of the country. I'm very rarely here. You could come with me. It would be harder to find you if he did not know where to look."

"Your friend would be okay with that?"

"If he is not, I shall convince him." Loki's eyes sparkled with mischief a moment. "And with how quickly you were to try and fight, I don't think it too much to say you can handle yourself when you need or hide when you must." She smiled at the blue woman before going on. "I know only one thing about mutants, they are dangerous. That means that I think you are dangerous enough to take care of yourself, but also that whoever you are hiding from must be dangerous, too. If it is another mutant... or if it is something of more mundane persuasion."

"I'm not use to being offered something for nothing," She answered.

"Oh, I do expect something!" Loki exclaimed. "I expect you not to attack me, for one. Not an unreasonable expectation I hope."

Mystique smiled. "I think I might be able to manage that."

"Good," Loki replied and smiled in return.


	5. Mystique Meets Doom

Victor did not take Mystique's sudden arrival in his home with very much grace.

Loki decided that it would be easiest to teleport the woman, rather than let her ruminate over her decision too long by taking more mundane means. It was more important to be quick than to be discreet, but he hoped it would not seem too strange that he had such a multitude of powers. If things worked the way Loki desired, he would not have to keep up the ruse of being a mutant for too long, but he wasn't betting on the best outcomes.

Loki told the woman that it would be best if she took a more covert form for their arrival and Mystique shifted into the appearance of a blonde woman. The look was obviously one she was very familiar with, the same way Loki was mostly familiar with his dark haired female form, even though he could shift into any other. Loki held out a hand to Mystique. "We are going to travel the quick way, if that is amenable to you?"

"You can teleport, too?" Mystique asked with a smile.

Loki smiled back. "I have a multitude of talents." She reached out to take Loki's hand. "One thing first, have you heard of Victor Von Doom?"

She gave him a confused look. "The one with the robots?"

"That would be the one."

"Why?"

They appeared suddenly in one of the halls of the castle. "I do not wish to startle him," Loki explained as she pulled Mystique down the hall. They had to check a few room before they discovered Victor in the library and he stood immediately upon seeing them. He was wearing his armor, as was most common, but Loki could practically feel the frown on his face. Unlike Loki, Amora never changed her looks around the castle (she couldn't shapeshift as Loki could, only cast illusions over herself), so Victor knew right away that this was a stranger.

"What is this?" He demanded. Loki was glad that he'd told Mystique to wear a more normal look, else Victor's words would likely have stung her. And likely led to a very heated comment. (Though part of him wanted a conflict to blossom between the human and and the mutant, eager to see what his new acquaintance has in the way of skills, but he pushed the chaotic impulse down. Now was not the time.) "What have you brought to my castle?"

"An acquaintance. Victor, please do behave," Loki responded in her most reasonable tone of voice.

"An acquaintance," He repeated. "Or a stray? Is that what you think I am to do? Take in whatever stray that you please? You believe you have the right to invite whomever to a home that is not even yours?"

This was not an unfamiliar argument. Victor could act very fickle, at times, telling the two gods that this was their home, but claiming it to be only Victor's whenever he wanted to assert his dominance.

Loki gave the mortal a patient look. "Surely it is unbecoming to act this way before a guest."

"What shall be unbecoming is seeing her entrails litter the floor when I eviscerate her!"

"I'd like to see you try," Mystique spoke up, taking up a defensive stance. Loki loved the tension in the room. It sent shivers of excitement through her body. Chaos, mischief, all around her like a long lost lover showing their passion has never waned. It was difficult to remind herself that this wasn't what she wanted.

"It isn't as if you do not have enough room to host another party," Loki said. "And I would be... appreciative if you would not put up much of a fuss over this. We can properly argue later, yes?"

Victor turned to the woman. "What do you want here, girl?"

"She said that I could lay low here a while," Mystique answered.

"Oh? And what have you done to need such a thing?"

"I am," She replied defiantly and all at once shifted to her true form, staring at Victor in open challenge.

As Loki predicted, wanting took over Victor's expression. She could read it in his body, having seen it directed at herself so often, but the mask and armor covered his form. Which was good. Victor's interest would likely scare her off.

"Ah, I see," Victor replied. "I have been rude, forgive me." He glanced at Loki before asking, "Do you know where you are girl?" He paused only long enough to read the answer on her face, but didn't force her to answer such a telling question. Didn't force her to admit the vulnerable position she was in. Knowing of it seemed to appease Victor, though. He did so enjoy having power over others. "This is my country of Latveria. In this country and castle both, I am the authority. You will respect that if you are to stay."

"I understand," Mystique replied.

"Good." He paused before adding. "I am Victor Von Doom. You may address me as either Victor or Doom, as you please. What of yourself?"

"Raven," She answered. "But I prefer Mystique."

Loki smiles at this. "Ah, I wondered when you would provide me with a proper name."

"You're one to talk." Mystique said.

"I asked you what you would like to call me." Loki smirked.

Mystique rolled her eyes. "You won't even give me a hint."

"I've had many names before," Loki admitted. "I wouldn't even know which one to give you."

"Luna," Victor offered. "If you are Mystique and I am Doom, it is only fair that she is a lunatic."

"Fitting, I'm starting to think," Mystique answered.

Victor made some gesture and one of his bots appeared at his side. "This shall lead you to your room, Mystique." The mutant followed the mechanical creature out of the room and Victor turned to face Loki.

A pleasant conversation was sure to follow. (Loki still felt electric from the amount of mischief in the room and also welcomed the conflict. She'd been too quiet for her own liking lately.)

Victor turned to face Loki as soon as Raven was gone, moving into her space and slamming one hand against the wall beside her head. "What is the meaning of this, Loki?"

"She is a mutant shapeshifter," Loki told him. "I saw her injured and had the desire to help her. It would be very nice were she to offer her help or her resources. There are a lot of mutants, after all."

Victor's hand hit the wall on the other side of her head, but she didn't react or flinch, just keep staring straight ahead. He was menacing her now, or at least attempting to, standing over her and using his body as a threat. Victor never did threaten Loki with words. That would have been unwise, but his body was a weapon. It was why he insisted on wearing his armor at almost all times. His skin was his weakness, but his armor was also his skin and it was strength. Loki understood wearing your skin as weapon. She was a shapeshifter, after all.

"For what reason should I not drag her into my lab upon the first chance I am given?" The question was a threat and a confession. The mortal was a strange man with many conflicts of personality. Honorable, in his way, but no less the villain he desired to be. If she could have, Loki would stroke the lies that he wore upon his skin. But she was not really the god of such things and could only touch them insofar as they could relate to chaos or mischief.

There was no mischief to this lie, though. No appeal to her magic. Loki liked Victor's lies for reasons all her own. She sighed at that, almost disappointed with the thought but not certain in what she would rather it be. "What if I offer you something?" Loki said. "A secret of mine for a secret of hers. Would that appease you?"

"Perhaps."

Loki sighed again, suddenly feeling weaker in this female skin. She shifted, but the feeling didn't dissipate even once he was back in male flesh. The thought of what he was about to do made him feel sick inside, but he had a point to make and mysteries were the surest way to direct Victor's mind where he wanted it to go. Standing up straight so as not to make his unease clear, Loki vanished his clothes with a spell. "Take off your mask, Victor."

Loki wondered if, in the privacy of his armor, Victor flinched at the reminder that Loki had seen him without his skin. Instead, he projected his anger as if it would protect him from whatever was to come. It wouldn't. Loki had tried that before (was likely to try it again) but it does little to protect and only makes you more brittle around the edges. "You have no right to command me!"

"No secret of mine is free, Victor."

"I thought you were giving me payment for the woman you've tossed into my castle!"

"Yes, but that does not make it free." Loki laid a hand on the side of Victor's mask, but did not remove it. "I will not be the only one."

There was a long tense moment between them before Loki began to, slowly, remove Victor's mask. Slow enough that he could be stopped, but the mortal made no move to do so. He lifted it up and off, tossing it to the table behind Victor. Without another word, Loki forced the change to run through his skin. It wasn't something that he had much experience with, changing into a form that he actively loathed. It was like pushing his magic against it's own nature (toward his true nature) and part of him rebelled, but he ignored it as best he could. The blue swept across his skin and the cold filled the room.

Victor backed away from him to take in the sight, eyes wide with greedy wonder. Loki tried not to flinch, feeling the man's gaze like a touch upon his skin. It felt wrong. All of it felt wrong. His skin, the cold, the gaze that drank in the sight so hungrily. "Loki," Victor whispered, a million questioned in that one word.

"We are all monsters here, Victor." When the man's gaze lifted to meet Loki's, the god made certain Victor saw as his eyes traced over the scars on the man's face. The sight didn't bother Loki, but it did bother Victor. Loki would not be the only one. Victor barely contained his own flinch.

"Tell me about this," Victor asked with a gentle voice, trying not to frighten Loki. The god hated being obvious, but there really was no way to hide the disgust he felt at this form.

"You first Victor," Loki insisted. "Show me your hate if you want mine."

To Loki's surprise, he did.

Victor told him, in great detail, the circumstances of his scars and his hate and the exact reasons of his ambitions, and he did so without looking away from Loki's gaze once. His body was a weapon, but so was honesty. A weapon and a mirror, forcing Loki to see what he was being shown, even if it didn't actually reflect any circumstance of Loki's. Loki liked Victor lies, but he decided in this moment that he hated his truths. At least, he hated that Victor knew how to make a weapon of it.

Loki hated that Victor made him feel weak in this moment, able to bear his scars when Loki was unable to bare his own.

"You've a price to pay, trickster," Victor said when the silence following his words grew too long.

"That's right," Loki replied, mostly to himself. He did have a price to pay. A price for penance. 'This is my punishment,' Loki thought to himself. And then he spoke.


	6. Loki and Amora get it together

Victor Von Doom knew how to put on a show.

Amora and Loki were sitting on top of a roof top watching as he and his Doombots engaged in battle with the heroes known as the Fantastic Four. Loki wasn't quite sure what had set the man off and towards his mortal enemy, but the gods were having an amusing time watching. They were both hidden under an illusion keeping them invisible to the mortals, sitting side by side.

"You will feel the wrath of Doom!" He shouted as he unleashed electricity at them all. He always put on a show whenever he accompanied his bots into battle. Loki thought that perhaps he was making fun of them. He never spoke in third person any other time.

"Don't you think you've kept me waiting long enough, Loki?" Amora questioned.

He turned to look at her questioningly. "What, dear Enchantress, could you possibly be talking about?"

"What are we here to do, Loki?" Amora turned to him. "You haven't told me anything about who is coming to Midgard."

"I don't think it's of much importance to you." Loki answered.

Amora glared. "If I am to help you, Loki, I think that it is about time that you told me what I am helping you against."

Loki looked away from her. "I do not expect you to help me when the time comes to fight."

"I am no coward, Loki!" She yelled heatedly, her eyes beginning to glow green with her magic.

"I am not calling you a coward," Loki replied lowly. "I just do not expect you to put yourself on the line for something that has no bearing or importance to you. What you are doing now does not place any danger on you, so it is no bother that you are helping, but..."

Amora shot a bolt of green magic at him, knocking him onto his back on the roof. "We are friends, Loki! I am not helping you for nothing!" She yelled as she stomped over to him.

Loki pulled himself up on his elbows, looking away from her. "Is that what we are?"

"Why else would I be helping you!"

Loki glared at her at that statement. "Perhaps because the All-mother promised you a handsome price to do so!"

"You are obtuse, Loki. I could have left the minute we set foot on Midgard if that was all that I cared about."

"Then why did you not?" Loki questioned. "You barely spoke to me after your banishment even when I sought you out! What brought about such a change in your heart, Enchantress?"

Amora fumed for a moment and looked away. "I was angry then. You... frustrate me Loki. As fond of you as I was, I was also fond of Thor and you kept me from him."

"You tried to take over his mind."

"I just wanted an opportunity to-"

"And you tried to take his soul."

"That was one time!"

"You tried often to bespell him."

"Do I bring up the ways in which you have wronged your brother!" Amora screamed and Loki flinched back like he had been slapped. He couldn't face this now. He wasn't certain that he ever could and he'd been doing so well trying not to think about Thor at all.

"Amora-"

"No, Loki! You've had your say, now I get mine." Loki closed his eyes, trying not to remember the last time someone had said, 'No, Loki.' to him. "We were friends, Loki, of course I was upset that you would stop me when you knew how much I cared for Thor."

"I cared for him, too. I couldn't let you-"

"I know!" She yelled. "You don't understand what it was like! You always had his attention. He would not even look my way when you were around. Sif and I used to drink ourselves into an abyss over how unfair it was that he only had eyes for his precious younger brother when we..." Amora paused as if to collect herself. "Did you remember how gleeful I was when you stole away her golden hair? I thought that you'd done that for me. To help me gain Thor's attention, and then when it brought them closer, I thought you'd done it to spite me."

"It was neither," Loki admitted. "I did it on the command of the All-father. He intends Thor to marry Sif and when she began to give up and found another, he bid me to ruin them."

Amora looked away, visibly trying to hold herself together. "You are the reason that Sif and I had a falling out. She told me that you were no good. That you would betray me like you did everyone else. I told her that I was glad she lost her hair." Amora let out a weak laugh. "And you know, she should have been right. After all I tried to do to Thor, you never treated me differently afterwards. You deflected and broke every spell that I threw at him and even when I raged at you for it, all you did was give me that stupid stare of yours and ask if I was done. You're the only one that even tried to talk to me after my banishment. How could you think that I would throw that away?"

"I thought you'd simply tired of me," Loki admitted. "I ruined your attempts with my brother and then you spurned my attention for a decade, at least."

"I admit that I did not handle my heartache very well," Amora whispered. "I do not even know what I would do now if I were to see him."

Loki swalled at the very thought before replying, "Neither do I."

They both looked toward the battle to avoid each other's gaze. The Avengers had joined the fight by this point. "Between Loki and Amora, Victor had made quite a bit of progress with his magical abilities and in turn his creations had become more powerful and more advanced. The Fantastic Four, as they called themselves, were unable to keep up. The Avengers had to push themselves whenever they fought. The Iron Man was constantly improving his own armor, but he was only one man. As a team, they seemed reluctant to rely on each other, and the assassins seemed static in their skills. The Captain was meeting the challenges well, but likewise, he was also just one man.

It happened so quickly they would have missed it had they still been talking. Victor aimed a blast at Reed who'd stretched out of the way, the energy coming in contact with an oncoming blast from Iron Man's weapon. The resulting explosion was fast and both Loki and Amora were on their feet and moving to the building's edge to scan the battle. Victor was caught in his own blast, as was the Widow who'd been trying to sneak up on him.

They were both unmoving on the ground.

The Captain was standing over the red haired spy as the Fantastic Four moved to surround Victor.

"Amora, retrieve Victor," Loki told her. In a flash of green she was already teleporting to armored man's side. Loki shifted into his female form as he teleported to the Widow, wasting no time in healing her.

"Wha?" The Captain gasped, startled by the sudden appearance.

"What are you doing!" Hawkeye yelled, aiming an arrow at her. Loki didn't see when the archer had appeared from, but he was suddenly standing before her. She heard the sound of Iron Man's repulsor's behind her and assumed another weapon was being pointed at her.

"I'm just trying to heal her. I mean no harm," Loki said, turning to face the Captain, but really just wanting to confirm that Amora and Victor had gone. Victor had better be safe in that armor of his, healing was no specialty of the Enchantress. It was another minute before the woman began to stir and Loki moved away as soon as the healing was finished.

"Not so fast, White Mage," Iron Man's mechanical voice called out and she froze. He landed beside her. "What was that?"

She was saved from answering by an attack by the remaining Doombots. Loki ducked out the way and in the resulting chaos slipped off back to Latveria. Victor was just sitting up on the couch, Amora over him. Loki changed back into his male form as he approached. "Feeling well, Victor?"

The man growled but did not answer.

"Do you need me to heal you, Victor?"

"Doom needs nothing from the likes of you!"

Loki leaned down over the man, frowning. "You must be unwell. You are home now, Victor." Amora leaned over and pulled the man's mask off and Loki took the man's head in his hands. He could see a small amount of blood at the back of the man's head and began immediately healing the wound. "Oh, Victor, you foolish mortal. You've given yourself a concussion."

"What should we do about his mechanical creatures?" Amora questioned. "Doesn't he usually destroy them?"

"I suppose we will have to do for it for him," Loki answered. He laid Victor down and changed himself to imitate Amora. He smiled, making his eyes and hands glow green with magic as hers always did. "Shall we, dear Enchantress?"

She smiled in return, glowing with magic. "This shall be fun."

* * *

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Tony yelled when he entered the meeting room on the Helicarrier, as if his teammates were any less confused than he was. He dropped down into a chair, turning in it to watch them all as they entered behind him.

Clint was hovering worriedly near Natasha, but not really saying anything, and the Widow herself was cool as an ice cube. As if she hadn't just had a serious injury. There were still small burns in her suit from the explosion that went off near her and Doom, so he knew it happened. Stark didn't get how she was suddenly healed.

Steve was giving everyone the same worried looks. Bruce was glancing at Natasha as well, fighting the urge to demand that he look her over and check for injuries. She insisted on being fine and no one could really force the Widow to do anything.

"A mutant, obviously," Clint said. Then he mumbled to himself, "Everyone is a freaking mutant."

"Why would she heal Natasha?" Steve questioned.

"Good deed for an upcoming hero?" Bruce offered.

"Uh, no. That's not what I was talking about," Tony said. "I meant the two twins that fucking obliterated Doom's bots! They were literally everywhere! The one chance I could have had to study his tech-"

"Seriously, Tony? That's what you focus on?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Tony answered seriously. "I have my priorities. Also, I already ordered JARVIS to do a search for whoever Magic Hands is."

"You and your stupid nicknames, Stark," Clint complained with an eye roll.

"Got a problem, Katniss?"

"I'm also pretty interested in why," Natasha said. "Even if it was just a civilian doing a good deed, that area was evacuated, why would she have stuck around? And close enough that she could see the battle and jump in to do something like heal someone's injuries?"

"People watch us fight all the time," Tony argued, waving off the concern. "Idiots are always trying to post footage of our fights on the internet. I made a montage of our greatest hits threw the eyes of amateurs."

"And jumping in while the fight was still going on was pretty ballsy," Clint said. "There were still a lot of Doombots around. She kinda risked her life, whoever she was."

"And disappeared pretty effectively right afterwards," Bruce said.

"So what you're telling me," Fury said from the doorway, walking into the room with a glare, "Is that you have no idea how or why someone rescued Romanov or why someone stepped in to destroy all of Doom's bots."

"It isn't like the guy doesn't have other enemies," Bruce offered with a shrug.

"Yeah, we're just his favorite," Tony added.

"Is anyone else tired of all these stupid mysteries?" Clint asked.

A chorus of agreement rang out from the table and nothing of use was discussed after that.

* * *

The woman did not exist. That was what Tony discovered after having JARVIS investigate for a little over a week and a half. There were absolutely no records of this woman anywhere, but she'd shown up over a dozen times or so in the city. There was very little information to be found.

Naturally, he became obsessed with finding out all that he could.

"JARVIS, open a new project," Tony said. "Call it... White Mage."

The woman seemed to appear and disappear out of nowhere. She'd walk into a cafe, but he couldn't find any footage of how she got there. She only went to places people went when they were wasting time, like cafe's or outdoor restaurants, where she paid cash for things she never seemed to really drink. She seemed to be people watching or lost in thought. And, add to the mystery, she was seen with one half of the blonde duo that destroyed Doom's bots.

It was frustrating him to no end.

"JARVIS, I want to know the moment this woman turns up again."

"As you wish sir," JARVIS replied.

"Save anything you find out about her to my private servers."

* * *

Things settled for Loki relatively easily. After the initial tension that arrived when Raven showed up, she seemed to slip into place pretty well. She wandered in her blue skinned form most often, which made Loki uneasy and Victor wanting, both things she dealt with the same way, confrontation. Victor had no trouble telling her that he wanted to do all manner of scientifically explicit things to the woman residing in his castle, making Loki laugh long and hard, because Victor did not display such a sense of humor often. (He was rather a series man, likely why he and Amora could not get on too long without an argument.) Loki did not know what to say to justify his behavior, but Victor surprised him by doing it for him, saying that she reminded Loki of an unpleasant past. Which was true, but Loki hadn't known how to just say so.

Raven seemed more curious around him after that, but she didn't push. (And Loki got used to them all calling him 'Luna' or 'Lunatic' because Raven was still not privy to his identity. It caused him to have a good laugh, because really, it wasn't as if he could deny the claim. He was living in a house of villains.)

The mutant had told Victor in no uncertain that he could never experiment on her and the look in her eyes spoke of a story, but they didn't push. She had absolutely no interest in his mechanics, magic, or general designs on the world, except that it prompted her to go into her own goals of equal mutant rights. Raven and Victor had a long ongoing conversation on the subject of prejudices that Loki didn't really understand the history of, but often fond fascinating to listen to. Raven spent a lot of time after that wandering Latveria at Victor's side with him half showing off his country and half boasting over his dominion of it. It was rather sweet, in a way, but Loki wondered if the same gears that had begun to turn in his mind spun in their own.

Loki had given Victor access to a lot of power should he and Raven get along too well and decide to combine their cause and Loki deeply worried about that. Victor should not be trusted with power. Loki knew what he would do with it. And from the few facts that Raven gave about herself, she should be watched out for, too.

Amora spent a lot more time around the castle in Raven's company and they seemed to get along, despite most of their conversation being a slew of complaints and annoyances from Amora and very snappish replies from Raven. This was also the reason the amount of sparring in the castle had increased. Raven had something of a temper when given the chance. (Which might also be why she got along with Victor. Like to like, after all.)

Loki and Amora had not quite finished the conversation they started on the roof. They did not act uneasy around each other, but neither did they bring it up. Loki spent time trying to address the problems in his head, but came to no conclusion. He wanted to trust Amora (He wanted to trust all of his housemates, but he knew that was not the wises of ideas) but he still did not know what would happen if the All-father happened to get a hold of her. And she was still unaware of what he really was. Victor had taken the news the way he took any unknown curiosity, with the desire to take it apart scientifically and extract samples of it (which Loki did not let him do.) But Victor was also unaware of how much of a monster being a jotunn made him. And Victor was a curious fool. He would dissect a devil if he could get his hands on one.

After the loss he took from the Avengers and the Fantastic Four (why did Midgard give all it's warriors such strange boastful titles?) Loki had given Victor a healing stone to study. The man had been extremely surprised. Loki and Amora had their rooms very heavily warded and did not bring their personal possession out in the open. There was a slightly awkward moment where Victor nearly thanked him, but then remembered better and scrambled to cover up his lapse. Loki handled it by insulting the man and telling him to guard his weak mortal flesh better (which Loki could say because Victor was wearing his armor and thus safe from the bite in that comment) and then feigning disinterest as he left.

They both could have handled that better, he supposed.

Raven also began to accompany Amora when she returned to her apartment. Despite what they knew about the mutants abilities and fighting prowess, they became concerned for her rather quickly. Victor claimed the worry was because she was the only one of them all without magical abilities, which Loki doubted was the case, but agreed to anyway so that he wouldn't need to put much thought into the real reason. Victor made her a device that was both for communication and tracking, which she didn't take to well at first, but was persuaded when they pointed out that they couldn't come for her if she was captured without knowing where to look. Her eyes seemed to cloud over with memories as she thanked them and after that she wore the bracelet when she went out.

Raven also began to wear an increasing amount of green, which all of them pretended they didn't notice, but made them all feel something warm and uncomfortable.

Amora had begun the task of telling Raven why they were all together. Amora had a talent for dismissiveness, so either the information came off as being unimportant or she treated the mutant's inquiries about it as such.

Loki didn't ask for her help yet, but he could see that she was more and more intrigued by them.

* * *

The next time Loki was in New York in her female form, the day before Victor's next attack, she had an unexpected visitor. She had been sitting at the outdoor portion of a restaurant for an hour, at least, looking in all directions, calculating how much force Victor planned to use and the usual amount of collateral damage that the Avengers caused trying to stop them, when Iron Man appeared right in front of her.

Loki was reasonably stunned.

The armored man drooped down right in front of her, plopped into the seat across from her, lifted his face plate and smiled rather cheekily at her. "You are a hard woman to find, you know that?"

Loki was having a time getting over her surprise. Of all her forms, she hadn't expected anyone to be looking for this one. "I was unaware I was being searched for."

"You see, I might believe that, but normal people come out in the open every now and again."

With a raised eyebrow, Loki looked pointed at their surroundings. "I did not realize that I was still inside my apartment," She said with dripping sarcasm. "You realize that makes this breaking and entering?"

He barked out a laugh at that. "Seriously, Cinderella, I haven't seen you anywhere for a month. Did the clock strike twelve on you, or what?"

The confusion showed plain on her face. "Forgive me, but I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Why did you disappear last time?" Stark clarified.

And oh. Loki had rather forgotten about that incident. Victor had been more her concern than the fact that she healed heroes in her female form. Well, this could become complicated, couldn't it? Loki sighed. "For this exact reason," She answered.

"What reason?"

"The reason of not wanting to explain myself or be questioned by nosy heroes," She snapped lightly.

"Oh, ouch!" Stark exclaimed, placing a hand on his chest for dramatic effect. "Most people would love having a one on one with Iron Man, you know."

"I don't consider myself most people."

"Well, duh. Most people can't touch someone and heal burn wounds and concussions."

"If she was healed, how do you know there were either?"

"I've got it on good authority that explosives can cause both," Stark replied with a smirk.

"Whose authority would that be?"

"My own."

"Through experience or experimentation?"

"Yes."

Loki didn't let the none answer stop her. "If it was experimentation then you cannot be certain of the results, can you? If you had a concussion you are in no condition to diagnose your injuries and if you did not then you've just invalidated your own results."

Loki took immense pleasure in the way Stark's mouth hung open in surprise. She had always enjoyed talking circles around people. She smirked at him as she waited for him to recover, then changed her mind and decided to hurry the exchange along. "Is there something that you wanted from me, Iron Man?"

"Tony," he replied automatically.

"Stark," she countered.

The man sighed. "Well it was my intention to find out why you healed Widow. I mean, since you left so quickly, you obvious didn't want to be found-"

"And yet here we are," Loki said.

"-but you risked exposing yourself to us anyway. And why were you even their when the area was evacuated?"

"If I answer your inquiries, will you leave me be?" Loki asked.

"No promises," Stark replied. "But it would help."

With a put out sigh, Loki met his gaze. "I helped because I don't want the heroes that are defending us to die. There are not very many of you. I wager we can't afford to lose any of them. That means debilitating injuries cannot be risked any more than outright death. That is why I was watching and why I healed her."

"How did you know to be there?" He asked.

A small smirk quirked at the edges of her lips. "That is a rather ridiculous question, is it not, Iron Man? Evacuations have been a regular occurrence over the last few months and each of them have preceded an attack of some sort. The battles are not covert."

Iron Man felt a little stumped by that for some reason. "Oh. Well, yeah. That."

Loki stood. "Are we done here?"

"Not really."

"That is a shame," Loki replied and walked back into the restaurant. Iron Man rose and followed her as quickly as he could. He spotted her going into the bathroom and decided to just wait. She had to come eventually.

Which was apparently the wrong assessment, because after an hour, she never did. He swore to himself and left the restaurant. He'd wasted an hour ignoring the strained looks from the other patrons and giving excuses to the waiters for why he was at their establishment in a suit of armor.

Pepper was going to kill him. She hated when he pulled stuff like this.

"JARVIS, you recorded all that, right?" He asked his A.I.

"As instructed, sir."

"Good." She must have given away something in that conversation. Some sort of clue or something, right? Well, he hoped so.


	7. The Double Date

Tony Stark was an obsessive man.

He was especially obsessive when he had a project to work on or a puzzle to solve. A certain green eyed, dark haired woman with healing powers was both. After a quick run through Shield's files and servers, he came up with a few more mysteries.

The two blondes that destroyed Doom's bots.

A woman called Lockley that was apparently involved in evacuating before Doom's attacks.

And a very interesting (and by interesting he actually meant very dull) file on a Sharon Carter who was apparently Cap's neighbor. (And whom Romanov seemed to have a fixation on, judging by the ratio of interesting information to frequency of reports.)

So, three separate projects. Project Twins, Project Lock, and Project Widow's Web. (Because while Sharon Carter was completely uninteresting, the fact that Romanov was all over her was very fascinating.)

"What do you think, Jarv, jealousy over Cap? Or does our Widow have a thing for blondes?" Tony asked out loud.

"I wouldn't think it was either, sir," Jarvis replied.

"Oh, come on, Jarv! Where's your imagination?"

"I daresay you have enough for the both of us."

So, yeah, Tony Stark was not short on obsessions these days. What he was short on was information. Of the three suspicious people he wanted to find, there was almost no information at all. They appeared out of nowhere and disappeared the exact same way. So, without better options, he should probably just spy on Cap and his girl. I mean, there had to be something about her, right?

"Jarvis, call up Steve will you?" Tony said.

"Calling, sir."

"Hello?"

"Hey, Capsicle!" Tony greeted. "What are you up to?"

"Tony? I'm not up to anything." Steve answered.

"Great! I wanna take you and girlfriend to dinner!"

"It's ten in the morning, Tony."

"Lunch, then."

"And I don't have a girlfriend."

"That blonde that Romanov's all over isn't your girlfriend?" Tony asked.

"You mean Sharon?"

"Yes. You and her, lunch. On me."

"Did Natasha put you up to this?"

"You know that I don't do what Shield tells me," Tony snorted. "No, I saw that Romanov was on your case and I'm curious. Come on, Cap, you know I'm on your side. That's why I keep Shield out of your place. I'm just... curious."

Steve sighed. "You're always curious, Tony."

"That doesn't matter, what matters is lunch. Two hours? Three? How long does it take to ask a girl to go to lunch with you?"

"Tony."

"You want me to ask for you? I can be there in ten minutes in the suit!"

"She might not even be home."

"Finding that out is step one."

Steve sighed again. "You're not going to drop this are you?"

"Nope," Tony replied, with a pop to the end of the word.

"I'll see if she's interested."

"See you at noon." Tony waited for the call to disconnect. "Jarvis, call Pepper."

"Tony, whatever you want, I don't have time," Pepper answered immediately.

"What I want is lunch," Tony told her. "Double date between you, me, Cap and his girl."

"Tony, we're not dating."

"I know."

"And Steve doesn't have a girlfriend."

"I know."

"Tony..."

"So, twelve o' clock?"

Pepper sighed. "Make it one."

"Done!" He called. "Jarv, tell Steve we're on at one."

* * *

"I never thought I'd be having a meal with not one, but two superheroes," Sharon smiled at them as she sat down. Steve was at her side, Tony and Pepper across from her.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero," Tony replied.

"Even better," Sharon replied. "A superhero and a celebrity."

"Two celebrities," Tony said. "Allow me to introduce you to the famous Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries."

"Nice to meet you," Pepper smiled at her.

"Likewise. I have heard very good things about you, Miss Potts," Sharon answered. "And I have heard the exact opposite about you, Mr. Stark, though Steve tried to portray it in the nicest light possible."

"Cap, a gossip!" Tony gasped and placed a hand over his chest in an exaggerated gesture. "Say it isn't so!"

Steve turned a bright red. "It isn't like that!"

"It's even worse, you're a terrible influence on him! Keeping him out all night and making him have fun. It's absolutely scandalous!" She grinned and Tony grinned in return.

"I never figured Cap's girl would be so much fun." Tony said.

"Tony! I told you we're not-"

"Of course you're not if you keep talking like that," Tony interrupted.

"Tony!" Pepper scolded, hitting his arm. "I'm sorry, I can't take him anywhere."

Sharon laughed. "Don't worry about him. He reminds me of a friend of mine, actually."

"A friend like Tony?" Pepper laughed. "Should I be wishing you good luck?"

"Luckily for me, I also have friends like Steve," Sharon replied, placing a hand on his arm.

"I like her!" Tony proclaimed.

"I hope you aren't trying to steal me away from him," Sharon winked. "And in front of Miss Potts!"

"Oh, we aren't together!" Pepper protested. "And please, call me Pepper."

"Oh, I didn't think so," Sharon told her. "Actually, I was half convinced that he was with Steve and Steve just didn't know about it."

"What?" Steve exclaimed.

"You ruined the surprise," Tony said, grin widening.

Pepper caught Steve's eye. "It looks like it's up to us to keep the conversation sane."

"And it's up to us to keep the conversation fun," Tony concluded.

* * *

"Alright!" Tony proclaimed when they were walking out of the restaurant. "I say we go back Stark Tower and have a movie marathon."

"I have to get back to work, Tony," Pepper said.

"You always do that," Tony complained. "Do this instead."

"That's not how work works, Tony," Pepper replied.

"If Tony is your boss, then he just gave you permission to take time off-" Sharon began.

"He isn't." Pepper interjected.

Sharon continued, "And if you're the boss, you can give yourself time off." Sharon smiled.

"That's settled. Cap?" Tony asked.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Sure, Tony."

"Alright!" Tony smiled.

"Tony Stark inviting me back to his place and keeping me out late, what will the neighbors think!" Sharon smiled teasingly at Steve.

They were only halfway to where the car was waiting for them when something got their attention. A man stumbled toward them, red glowing beneath their skin. Steve was the first one to approach him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Sharon grabbed Tony's and Pepper's arm, pulling them as she took steps back. "Steve, that doesn't look like a good idea."

"He-help me..." The man rasped.

Sharon mumbled something that sounded like swearing. She pushed Pepper and Tony further away. "Stay here you two." Tony opened his mouth to reply, but Sharon cut him off. "Stay here!" She moved forward quickly, grabbing Steve as the red beneath the man's skin increased. "Steve. Steve!"

"He needs help!" Steve protested.

"There's nothing you can do!" She yelled as she tried to pull him away.

The man fell to the ground, beginning to scream.

"Steve!" She yelled and pulled him harder. Surprise lit his expression as he was actually pulled away. Steve thought he saw a shimmer of green around them before the man yelled and combusted on himself, the blast tossing them away. They flew in opposite directions. Around them, yelling and screaming broke out as people ran and panicked to get away, but only the four of them were close by.

"Shit!" Tony yelled, moving toward Steve.

Pepper just looked between the two of them in a panic. "What the hell was that?"

Sharon groaned as she pulled herself up, looking toward Steve. "Is he alright?" She asked.

Tony quickly scanned over Steve, who seemed to have been knocked out. "He doesn't look too bad."

"I'll call the police and an ambulance." Pepper said.

"No," Sharon said, shaking her head. "No, I'll..."

"Someone just exploded!" Pepper yelled.

"You're panicking." Sharon stated simply as she pulled herself into a kneeling position. "Tony, isn't that... shouldn't you do something with that?"

"Shit, Pep." Tony said, moving back to Pepper's side. "Pep, it's alright."

"Someone exploded, Tony!" She yelled.

Sharon picked herself up and moved to Steve's side, placing a hand on his head. She moved her body to block the view from Tony and Pepper and then her hand began to glow with green energy.

"Pep, it's okay. We're okay." Tony repeated, pulling her into a hug. She was too shocked to resist or reply. "Shhh," He whispered soothingly, stroking her hair.

The glow from Sharon's hand stopped as soon as Steve groaned. She propped him up, moving partially behind him so he had something to lean on. "Hey, Steve. You alive in there?" She joked weakly.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"No one's hurt, but Pepper's... not doing too well," Sharon answered. "How do you feel?"

"Surprisingly... well," Steve told her.

"Me, too. That's something, at least." She let out a breath. "You worried me, Steve." Sharon projected her voice louder as she asked, "What happens now? We are not going to watch movies, are we?"

"We need to get you two to the hospital," Pepper told them.

"I'm not going to any hospital," Sharon said. "Not to offend."

"Let's all go back to the Tower," Tony proposed. "Bruce can look us over."

"I think I'll just go back to my apartment," Sharon said. "This is the kinda thing that superheroes take care of. I think I'd just be in way."

"I'll have someone take you back," Tony said.

"Thank you. The great thing about this is that I can tell people I went out with Tony Stark and my night ended with a bang." Sharon laughed slightly and Tony joined her. Pepper and Steve just frowned.

"Alright, there's a cab let's get you home." Tony said.

"Shouldn't we call Shield?" Steve questioned.

"You get right on that, Cap."

* * *

An hour later Natasha arrived at the tower. Tony and Pepper were having a drink, Steve sitting across from them. Natasha spoke as soon as she stepped foot off the elevator. "The three of you alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Tony sighed.

Her eyes quickly scanned over them. "There isn't a scratch on any of you."

"Sharon kept us away from the blast," Pepper answered.

"Did she?" Natasha queried.

"It was just lucky nothing more severe happened."

"I don't think it was luck," Natasha answered.

"What do you think it was?" Tony asked.

"How did she know to get you away from the blast?" Natasha questioned.

"His skin was glowing," Steve said. "It wasn't difficult to see that something was wrong."

"Then why did you approach him?"

"I thought I could help."

"And she tried to stop you. From helping." Natasha's gaze was steady and her face near blank.

"From exploding," Pepper interjected, giving an angry and confused look to the red haired spy. "What is this about? I thought Steve already told you everything?"

"I just want to be clear." Natasha replied.

"Or you just want Sharon Carter to be guilty," Tony said, sitting forward. "Why is that, anyway?"

"I'm only checking out the facts," Natasha insisted.

"Natasha, I thought we were done with this." Steve leveled her with a disappointed look.

Natasha sighed and gave Steve a look that was almost sincere. "You don't think anything is strange about this? That the day you three decide to go out with this woman, a man literally explodes near you?"

"She saved us from that!" Steve argued.

"Isn't that a little suspicious in and of itself?"

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that something is wrong with a man whose skin literally glows!" Pepper growled in frustration. "Even if there is something strange about her, doesn't it mean anything that she saved our lives!"

"And why isn't she here?" Natasha asked.

"Why would she be?" Pepper demanded.

"No offense, Pepper, but the two of you don't exactly have the best instincts about who you can trust."

"Does that include you?" Pepper asked angrily.

"Yes," Natasha responded without hesitation.

"Alright," Tony stood bolted out of his chair. "I think it's time for you to leave. Was there a reason you came here?"

"Fury wants a debriefing," She told them.

"Fine, tomorrow," Tony said. "Any reason that you had to come tell us that instead of him just calling?"

"Like I said, just fact checking." Natasha walked back to the elevator and left without another word.

* * *

The next time Tony checked out Sharon Carter's file, there was a note listing Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Pepper Potts as compromised. Tony snorted at this and added Natasha Romanov's name. He would have thought a spy would handle jealousy better.

* * *

"Interesting," Loki said as he circled the illusion before him. He stared intently at the man with burning veins, studying the illusion closely. "And you say he burst into fire."

"Rather painfully so," Amora added. "Your Avengers are foolish. The Captain seems very determined on making friends with deadly situations."

"Then it's a good thing that he has you to look out for him."

"You say this just occurred," Victor questioned, facing his computer screens. The three were together in Victor's lab, the mortal typing on an expanse of keys and checking the screens every few minutes. Amora was seated a top on of the work tables, glowing hand held out as she kept the illusion in place. "Is this the incident?" Victor questioned.

The two gods looked to the screen, watching as the contents of Amora's illusion began to replay on Victor's computer screen. Amora dropped the illusion. "What do you suppose it is?"

"Well it isn't magic," Loki said. He turned to look at the mortal. "Shouldn't this be your specialty, Victor?"

"Without having a speciemen to study there is not much I can do," Victor said.

"What is this?" Raven asked as she entered the room.

"An incident that happened not long ago," Loki answered. The footage was repeating on the screen.

Raven stopped as she stared at Loki. "I was beginning to believe you disliked being a man." This was the first that she had seen Loki in any male form, let alone his own.

Loki laughed. "On the contrary. I enjoy it very much. I am a man, actually."

Raven's eyes took in his form greedily. "Is this your true form?"

"My most familiar form, I'd say," Loki answered. He gestured to the screens. "Something in this you recognize?"

Raven's face fell into a serious expression. "Yes. It's... The person I'm running from had been doing something... I objected when I found out but he..."

"Raven, what were they doing?" Loki asked.

"An experiment, but I don't know much about it. I just remember seeing... this," She gestured.

"Is it something we should be concerned over?" Loki questioned. "Or rather, something they should be concerned over?" He indicated the Avengers on screen.

Raven pressed her lips together tightly and did not respond. She turned to stare intently at the screen. Amora gazed curiously at the mutant. Victor began researching on another screen.

"Raven, do you know who I am?" Loki asked. "Do you recognize me?"

"Should I?" She asked in return.

Loki didn't answer that. Instead, he said, "I am Loki and I am a god. As is Amora. Whatever you fear, it will not cause us harm."

"Then what are you hiding from?" Raven asked.

"Other gods," Loki answered. "And a titan."

Amora looked up at this. "Titans?" She slid off of the workbench and walked toward him. "Loki, you don't mean-"

"The Mad Titan," Loki said. "Yes, I do."

"Loki, he's beyond a mad man! Everyone knows it!" Amora yelled.

"The mortals do not," he replied calmly. "And they would not believe me if I were to tell them. They would not believe anything from me."

"The All-father-" Amora began.

"Is the reason that Midgard has the attention of the Mad Titan in the first place." Loki finished for her. "He wants to destroy everything, he wants the infinity gems, and he wants to destroy me."

"Why would he want you, Loki?" Amora demanded.

"Because I stood in the way of him getting the Tesseract and betrayed him by allowing my attack on Midgard to fail."

Amora slapped him across the face, then grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him closer. "Why wouldn't you tell me this Loki!"

"I didn't think that I could trust you," Loki admitted. "I thought you would do something foolish like go to the All-father, but he will not help, because this is what he wants."

"You will tell me everything, Loki!" Amora yelled, eyes and hands glowing. "And you will tell me this instant!"

"Raven. Victor." Loki spoke calmly, but he did not look away from Amora's eyes. "I have a tale to tell and it shall start during a time that I was lost in space. In the void. And I would appreciate it, Victor, if you did not make any scientific inquiries during my telling."

"I shall try to restrain myself," Victor answered.

"Amora," Loki said lowly. "I am trusting you. Do not make me regret it."

Amora lessened the hold she had on him. "If you lie to me, Loki," she threatened.

"Not one lie shall pass my lips during this telling." Loki promised.

"That does not cover lies of omission," Amora pointed out.

"It never does," Loki smiled for a moment, before his serious expression returned. "But there will not be much to omit from this particular tale." Loki glanced at the mortals that had moved closer to him. "Let me tell you why your world is currently in danger."

And he did.

* * *

"Are you certain of this?" Loki asked as she stared down at her phone. She was leaning against a tree in central park with Raven, as Lockley, beside her. "I would rather not have you involved with them. They are not to be trusted."

"You don't trust them?" She asked.

"Of course not," Loki answered. "They are useful and I use them, but nothing more. If they were to capture you or I, I have no doubt what would be in store. You say you worry your kind will be captured, they would do it. You worry about being tortured and experimented upon, they would do it. They find things that don't belong to their world and try to twist and bend them to their will. They find beings that are greater than they are and seek to destroy them." Loki looked up to catch Raven's gaze. "You do not have to talk to them."

"I know more than you," Raven said. "You wouldn't know what to tell them."

"Be careful on that account," Loki stressed. "Do not tell them more than you intend. They already believe 'Lockley' to be a mutant, do not make them think she is also a threat. That is the only thing that will keep you safe."

"I see him," Raven said.

"Well, off you go, then. Call if there is trouble. No matter what, I shall hear you."

"Don't get into trouble either, Lunatic." Raven pushed off the tree to approach Agent Coulson and Loki remained in place.

* * *

"Sir." Jarvis' voice was drowned out beneath the loud music that played in Tony's lab as he worked on the suit. His focus was completely on the wires and circuitry before him. Abruptly, the music cut out and Jarvis' voice came again. "Sir."

"Whoa, Jarvis," Tony stopped abruptly and looked up, but not actually at anything. "What have I told you about not turning down my music?"

"There is a visual on project Lock and Project White Mage, sir."

"What when? Where?" Tony asked, putting down his tools.

"Both are in central park as we speak, sir." Jarvis reported.

"Great! Get the suit ready."

* * *

Loki was surprised, but mostly exasperated, when she heard the loud sound of Iron Man's arrival. Loki wanted to groan aloud, but instead she just slowly looked around the tree to see where Iron Man landed. Irritatingly, he was near where 'Lockley' and Coulson were speaking.

"If it isn't my favorite agent!" Tony said, lifting his face plate.

"What are you doing here, Stark?" Coulson asked.

"Just thought I'd take the opportunity to meet Shield's newest addition," Tony answered.

"I'm not Shield," Lockley replied.

"Then why did you assume that I meant you?"

"Agent Coulson, I believe we're done here," Lockley said.

"Miss Lockley-" Cuolson began, but Tony cut him off.

"Don't go so soon, we just met!"

"I rather think that for the best," Lockley said, turning on her heel and walking away.

"Hey now!" Tony called moving to follow her.

Loki moved into his path when he passed by the tree. "Mr. Stark, fancy seeing you here."

"Hey! It's you!"

"So it is."

"You ditched me last time."

"So I did." Loki smiled.

"No time for you to ditch me today," Tony told her.

"Is that right?"

"Yes. I was just..." Tony looked around, but already Lockley was out of sight. "Looking for someone..." Tony sighed. "As long as you're here..." He turned back, finding that she was gone as well. "Today must not be my day."


	8. The Date (That Wasn't A Real Date)

Tony, naturally, got an hour long lecture about not interrupting Shield meetings and scarring off assets and blah, blah, blah. He was too put out by the fact that both had so quickly and easily given him the slip to care that Shield was mad at him. I mean, really, what was new? Shield was always mad at him for something, after all. The important thing was that Tony had gotten a brilliant idea out of all this.

After having Jarvis keep a careful watch on the next few Avengers related incidents, he found that Project White Mage was in much easier reach than he anticipated. He shouldn't have been surprised. She'd said it herself, she didn't want them to die and it wasn't difficult to find their battles. It stood to reason that she would be watching if she planned to be helping.

So, brilliant that he was, he devised the perfect plan to speak with her. All he had to do was talk to her before she left their battles; which meant, all he had to do was talk to her before the fights were over.

"Jarvis, get me a read on White Mage, will you?" Tony asked, multitasking as he dodged out of the way of several Doombots.

"Target found," Jarvis replied. A visual opened showing the woman, barely visible as she watched from one of the roofs, mostly hidden from sight.

"Great!" Tony said, then to the others on the comm link, he called, "Hey, think you guys can hold out by yourselves for a minute?"

"What? Why?" Steve asked.

"Be right back!" Tony yelled, flying off towards the building his target was waiting on.

"Tony!" Steve yelled, but they didn't really have the time to pay much attention to his departure, being surrounded by Doombots and all. Tony decided to mute the comms.

"You are awfully hard to get a hold of," Tony said as he landed on the roof, startling her. "I'd almost think you didn't want to talk to me."

She narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance. "Far be it for anyone to not want to talk to the great Tony Stark," She drawled, angling herself so that she could keep an eye on both Iron Man and the battle. "You realize your being here is endangering your teammates?"

"How so?" Tony asked, lifting his face plate so that she could see his frown.

She turned to him a moment to shoot him a look. "Are you a fool?" She asked him. "If you are here talking to me, you are not only leaving your fellow warriors crippled as they fight, but you are also distracting me from keeping vigilant watch over them, meaning I may miss being able to aid in a critical moment."

"You really take this seriously, huh?" Tony asked.

"And you do not at all," She sighed. "Which is a terrible shame, because you are a decent warrior, when you choose to be."

"Only decent?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I am not going to stroke your ego when you are being so irrepressibly irresponsible with your comrade's lives."

"Would you be willing to give me your name?" He asked.

She pressed her lips together tightly a moment before responded. "My companions have taken to calling me Luna."

"Luna, huh? Any chance you-"

"Your Hawk could use some support," Luna told him dispassionately.

Tony looked to where Hawkeye was fighting, finding the archer becoming rapidly overcome by Doombots. "Shit!" Tony called, face plate lowering as he flew off immediately toward his teammate. He turned the comms back on, hearing his teammates screaming for him. "Hey. Calm down, I'm here." Tony punctuated his statement by blasting two bots at once.

"Where the hell were you?" Hawkeye asked, launching exploding arrows as fast as he could.

"Doesn't matter, I'm here now," Tony answered.

Tony was surprised after the battle when he returned to the roof to find 'Luna' still waiting on her rooftop perch. He landed before her and lifted his face plate, surprise clear on is face. "You're still here."

"Yes," She answered. "Since you are so set upon my company, I thought I would save myself the trouble of you chasing after me further." She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared him down, green eyes diamond hard. "Why is it, Tony Stark, that you are so very determined to have my company? What is it that you want from me?"

"Time and answers," Tony told her.

"Why will you need time if I am willing to provide you with answers?" She asked.

"You interest me," He told her truthfully. "I wanna know how you can do that healing thing. And why you care whether or not a few heroes live or die."

"Again, answers I could give you, but that does not require time. I could write a note and deliver it to your tower without wasting more than minutes. What do you want of my time?" Luna demanded.

"I said you interest me."

Luna hummed noncommittally. "Do your companions share your curiosity?"

Tony frowned. "They don't know that I've been trying to talk to you, so probably not."

She tilted her head in confusion at that. "If you can manage to show up somewhere without this ostentatious look of yours, then I will meet you. Name a place, a time, a day."

"Just like that?" Tony asked in surprise.

"It will not do anyone any good if you continue to distract myself and your teammates both with your erratic behavior," Luna said. "So time, place, day, and I shall meet you there, Mr. Stark."

"Tony."

"We are not so familiar," she argued.

"You gave me your name."

"I gave you a name."

"That your friends call you."

She smirked. "Tells you a little something about me and my friends, does it not?"

"How about tomorrow? That restaurant you ditched me at?"

"Time, Mr. Stark?"

"Seven."

She began to eye him skeptically. "In the morning?"

"God, no," Tony protested quickly, waving off the very idea. "At night."

"For dinner?" she deadpanned. "This will not be a date, Mr. Stark."

"Sure."

She let out a sigh. "Fine. I expect, being wealthy as you are, you shall take care of my every comfort."

"Not like you ever touch any food you ever order," Tony muttered to himself, but Luna smiled as she heard the complaint.

"That is only while I am distracted." Her eyes met his. "I assure you, you shall have my full attention, Mr. Stark."

"Tony," He insisted again.

"Iron Man," She said instead. He groaned, but she only smirked wider.

"Fine, but tomorrow you better use my name," He told her and flew off the roof.

"We'll see," She said to herself, watching him until he flew was out of her sight.

* * *

"I've got a date with Iron Man tomorrow," Loki said as he walked into Victor's lab, pausing at the sight he came upon. Raven was sitting on Victor's work table with sensors pressed onto her skin, connecting her to one of Victor's machines. She was in her true form as usual, various screens displayed information and measurements on the mutants body, and Loki just stared for a moment. "Well, this is unexpected."

"It isn't what you think," Raven protested.

"Oh, and what do I think?" Loki asked with a smirk.

"She is allowing me to do a medical exam," Victor said, not bothering to look away from whatever readings he was studying. "I thought it best that I have readings of her normal state, so that we can be well aware if anything is wrong."

"A wise venture," Loki nodded. "I'm surprised she agreed to it."

"I was hesitant," Raven answered truthfully.

"Is there any reason you are seeing Tony Stark tomorrow?" Victor questioned, typing something on a separate computer.

"Only that he persist in stalking me and I thought this was the simpler option," Loki answered, sitting atop another work table.

"Is that why he showed up when I was talking to that agent?" Raven questioned.

"I assume. He was likely looking for either Luna or Lockley." Loki shrugged. "If you plan on having another meeting with Shield, tomorrow would be the time."

"They want me to go to their base," Raven said.

"What?" Loki stood and moved to stand before the mutant girl. "Why?"

"You know why," Raven answered. "They want Lockley to tell them more about what's going on."

"You don't know more," Loki replied.

"I know where their base was and I know Magneto was involved," Raven countered.

"Victor?" Loki turned to the mortal scientist.

"I'm checking her vitals now and I've already made improvements to her tracker and communication device," Victor explained. "I have also created this," Victor held up a very simple looking choker. "There is a camera that has a feed directly to the lab, so we will be able to keep an eye on her."

Raven rolled her eyes and Loki rolled his in return. "Yes, it isn't as though you need our assistance at all. You were only running from this man when we met and wish not to be found by him. No reason for us to worry."

The look on Raven's face was just shy of being a pout. "I'm not powerless," She complained.

"No one thinks that you are," Loki soothed. "But you will be alone amongst enemies, it does not hurt to be cautious."

"You and Amora don't wear trackers."

"Amora and I can teleport."

"Is that caution talking?" Raven asked sarcastically.

Loki sighed and Victor turned and handed him a bracelet like the one that Raven wore. "I've already created one for Amora, as well."

"I suddenly feel like I've been manipulated," Loki smiled as he reached out for the metal device, slipping it around his wrist. "How long have you had this made?"

"I made them just after Mystique's," Victor answered.

"Did you make one for yourself?" Loki questioned. Victor stopped at this, surprise showing in his body as his face was covered by his mask. "It's only fair, is it not?" Loki asked. "If you get to keep tabs on us, we should keep tabs on you."

There was a pause before Victor replied. "You wouldn't know what to do."

"As if you cannot teach us to monitor your devices," Loki replied with a sarcastic drawl. "You have already taught Amora and I much about your creations."

Victor made a noncommittal sound as he turned back to the readings on Raven.

"Are you all each other's apprentices?" Raven asked annoyed.

"Hmm, perhaps," Loki answered. "Are you interested in either my magic or Victor's machines? Only ask and you shall be taught."

"Let's go back to talking about you and Iron Man," She complained.

"I am to meet him tomorrow. What more would you have me say?"

"What more is there to say?" Raven hedged.

Loki thought for a moment. "I believe I will take the opportunity to inform him of what is to come."

"Oh?" Victor asked. "Is that wise?"

"Probably not, but I'd rather not waste the opportunity," Loki said. "I cannot say much, but I can give some form of warning."

"Yes, well, enjoy your... date," Victor said.

"You do realize that I am not going on an actual date, yes?"

"Does he realize that?"

Loki just sighed.

* * *

It was very late when Amora returned to the castle, Loki and Victor still in Victor's lab. The two were standing side by side before the computers and Amora walked in between the pair and leaned on their shoulders.

"Raven is going to Shield's base," Loki said immediately.

"Loki is going on a date with Iron Man," Victor added.

"I did that with Captain America," Amora said musingly. "He reminds me of you, Loki."

"I think I was just insulted," Loki replied.

"Why is Mystique going to Shield?" Amora questioned.

"My theory is that she wants to get her Magneto locked up so that she no longer has to worry about him," Loki said.

"What, she doesn't think we can protect her?" Amora asked with a hint of anger.

"I do not think that is the point," Victor said. "It doesn't matter what she thinks nor wants, we will be watching her. She will be fine, and if she is not, we will destroy whatever endangers her."

"Victor was about to teach me how to monitor the new device he's given her," Loki explained. "A camera with a live feed."

"Here," Victor handed her a bracelet.

"What is this?" Amora asked as she examined the bracelet.

"The same as Raven's tracker," Loki told her.

"But we don't need that."

"Yes, I told them, but let's indulge them, shall we?" Loki reached out to touch her bracelet and it lit for a moment. "I placed my own tracking spell on it. I placed one on Raven's as well. Victor is to be wearing one, but he has yet to do so."

"I will do it once we have finshed preparing for Mystique's venture," Victor answered.

"You should add your magic to them as well," Loki said to Amora.

"I intend to," She answered. "What do you plan to do about Iron Man?"

"He is the most approachable of the Avengers since you already have the captain."

"Pay attention, now," Victor said, turning to them. "I am about to teach you to hack into a satellite. From there, I will teach you the needed maintenance for keeping watch on Mystique's feed."

"Yes, Let's get on with it," Loki said.

* * *

Amora thought it amusing to dress Loki up for an actual date. She dragged him into her room, stood him before the mirror, demanded he take female form, and ordered him to be still and complaint. Loki was not amused as she used her magic to dress him in several Midgardian outfits that neither of them would ever consider wearing, not even bothering to contain her laughter as she did so. Loki only let it go on because he knew she was worried over Raven's meeting with Shield (as they all were) and this kept her slightly distracted.

At some point Loki demanded to be dressed in something decent, and Amora began draping him furs or leather, proper Asgardian attire, and one noticeable inappropriate Vanir style outfit that had him raising an eyebrow at her.

"How much longer have you for me to play?" Amora asked, ignoring his look. "I want to paint your face."

"I am not your doll, Amora," Loki replied with slight annoyance. "Nor am I going to suffer on behalf of Tony Stark."

"But Loki!" Amora whined, holding out various forms of make-up. "Midgardian woman like to stand out."

"Yes, and I can very well do that myself."

"You're no fun!"

"And you're a pain."

"Just let me do your eyes."

"No," Loki stated firmly. "When did you even get that Midgardian mess?"

"I made friends with mortals, of course," Amora replied.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course," she muttered. She turned to Amora. "First of all, I will not use that. Midgardian's are terrible with their creations for beauty, and second, Amora, you do not get to place anything on my face. If I want it done, I shall do it myself. Isn't it enough that I let you dress me?"

"No."

"And that is why you may not," Loki shook his head. "It is never enough with you. If you are done, may I actually get ready to leave?"

Amora crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Fine," She snapped.

"Thank you." Loki walked toward her door.

"Loki," She called softly. Loki stopped and turned toward her. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"Of course she will," Loki answered confidently.

"Mortals die, Loki."

"That is why we have to look after them," Loki answered.

* * *

Loki was waiting outside the restaurant exactly at seven.

Tony Stark was not.

Loki was not one to be patient on behalf of other people. She had a table and a drink when Stark showed up, fifteen minutes late. "Being late does not equate to being charming, Stark," Loki spoke primly when the billionaire arrived.

"It wasn't my fault I'm late!" He protested as he sat down.

"I do not believe you," Loki replied. "If anything dire had occurred, you would be more than fifteen minutes late. This is simply poor time management."

He had the grace to look sheepish at being called out. "Well, to make it up to you, you can order whatever you like!"

"That was always the plan," Loki replied with a smirk.

Their food was quick to arrive once they ordered and Stark couldn't take his eyes away from the sight of Loki eating. "Wow. I never thought I'd actually see you eat."

Loki swallowed her bite of food before making a reply. "I believe there are names for people like you, Stark."

"What do you mean people like me?" He asked.

"You've been watching me without my knowledge for long enough to make comments upon my eating habits," Loki answered. "Does that seem at all suspicious to you?"

"When you say it like that, anything sounds bad," Stark argued.

"Only because that is bad," Loki emphasized. She took a few more bites. "I believe there was a reason you wanted to speak with me?"

"Several reasons," Stark returned. "Most in the form of questions."

"You may begin asking them."

"Alright. To start, why do you keep an eye on The Avengers?"

"I thought I previously addressed that inquiry," Loki said.

"Yeah, but why?"

Loki took a sip from her drink, then she met the mortal's gaze with a serious expression. "Something is coming, Stark. Something worse than what we faced last year."

"Last year..."

"The invasion," Loki clarified. "Something... someone... worse approaches, and if any of you were to die... well, what would the rest of us do?"

Stark stared at her with his own serious expression. "How do you know this?"

"I know it," Loki answered simply.

Stark stared at her a while longer. "I get the feeling you wouldn't exactly be lost without us."

"I couldn't take out an army alone," Loki told them. "And I would not be able to protect an entire realm."

"Hmm." He paused to take a few bites of his food. "You should come back to Stark Tower with me."

Loki's eyes widened in surprise. "You do know that I did not come out here to be one of your conquest, yes?"

"That's not what I mean," Stark denied. "Not that I would turn you down if you offered, but I meant you should come with me for science!"

"Science, Stark? In my day we called it what it was." Loki grinned.

"I wanna know how you can do that healing thing."

"You wouldn't be the only one."

"And I wanna know what else you can do."

"I imagine you would."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are, Stark." Loki placed her silverware down. "I refuse your invitation. It would be unwise for me."

"I'm not gonna hurt you," He told her.

"You want from me things that I am not willing to give."

"All I want are answers," He told her.

Loki shook her head. "That's not true. I give you answers and it is not enough for you. What you want from me is truth. I am not willing to part with it."

"So, what, you've been telling me lies?" He asked.

"No."

"Do you ever just give straight answers?" He asked in frustration.

"Yes," Loki answered. "But those answers don't seem to be enough for you and that it why I will not give you anymore. I won't tell you want you want to know just because you are curious, Stark."

"Then what will convince you to tell me?"

Loki smiled to herself as she answered. "What indeed."

* * *

Shield's base was very large and Raven, as Lockley, was slightly nervous as she followed Coulson through the halls. It had to be deliberate, taking her down such a complicated series of paths. She wondered if they were trying to unnerve her so that she'd let more slip or just trying to unnerve her because that's what they did. She was surprised when she was lead to the room for a conference that two of the Avengers were there, until she remembered the things that Loki had told her and almost faltered in the doorway.

Coulson directed her to a table across from Hawkeye and Black Widow, being glared down at by an intimidating man with an eye patch. Director Fury, she guessed from what Loki had told her. The Black Widow was a spy, probably here to see if she was lying, and Director Fury was the leader. She couldn't figure out why Hawkeye was here, unless it was just because Black Widow was.

"Miss Lockley," Director Fury greeted. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"I wish I could say the same, but I don't really know who you are," She replied.

"I'm Nick Fury, commander of Shield."

"I can honestly say I never thought that I would meet you."

Coulson sat forward, turning toward her. "We want to go over the information you gave us."

"Sure. Quick question," Raven began. "Why are the Avengers here?"

"Hawkeye and Black Widow are Shield agents. They're going to be investigating the information you gave us," Director Fury explained.

"Hey," Hawkeye nodded at her. Black Widow echoed the gesture silently.

Director Fury turned to a desk behind him and pressed a few buttons on a inlaid keyboard, pictures projecting on a screen behind them. Images of people with burning veins, blast sites, and distanced pictures of a castle. Her eyes were glued to the image of the castle.

"Tell us again what you know about this," Coulson said.

"Nothing," Raven answered. "Not really. I've seen it, but I don't know anything. It's the result of genetic experimentation, but that's all I really know."

"How do you know?" Black Widow asked her. The red haired spy was boring a hole into Raven's head with her stare, but the mutant met her eyes regardless.

"I was told," She answered.

"By who?"

Raven hesitated before answered. "Magneto."

Hawkeye sat up straighter in his chair and Director Fury focused on her a bit more. "Magneto?" Hawkeye repeated. "The guy that controls metals, that Magneto?"

Raven just nodded.

"Why would he tell you that?" Black Widow displayed no surprise or reaction to the information at all.

Raven hesitated again, eyes downcast. "We were friends. I was with him, but I didn't know what he was doing, and when I found out I ran. He tried to convince me to help him, but I wouldn't listen." Raven forced herself to meet the other woman's eyes. "It didn't occur to me that it would come up again."

"Why were you friends with Magneto?" Hawkeye asked and something in his tone -contempt, she thought, either for her friend or mutants in general- made her angry.

"People make friends," Raven snapped. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't come here to be interrogated."

"Why did you come here, Lockley?" Director Fury asked. He spoke her name like it was satire and it made her both nervous and irritated.

"It isn't a happy thought that people EXPLODE for no reason!" She snapped. "I want to help stop it if I can."

"Why didn't you stop it when you first found out about?" Hawkeye asked.

"What would you have me do?" She snapped in irritation. "It was all I could do to get away from him in the first place! And no one was exploding when I was there. Not that I saw anyway."

"So you find out your friend is conducting experiments on people and you run away?"

"You are an irritating man," Raven snapped. "If you think you can single handedly stop Magneto, be my guest! I'm not a superhero or a spy."

There was a pause before anyone replied.

"We searched the area you indicated," Director Fury said. "We found the place, but it was abandoned."

"We were hoping," Coulson began, inserting himself once more into the conversation, "That you would be willing to go with one of our agents to check out the place. You were there, you might be able to find something that we couldn't."

She nodded. "Fine," She said. "As long as it's not Hawkeye."

Coulson nodded and stood, indicating for her to stand with him. "Come with me. I'll brief you on what to do and you'll leave right away."

"Right," She answered slowly, looking around the room as she stood. They were all staring at her. Something was going on, she was certain, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There was nothing to do but follow Coulson out of the room.


	9. Thor's Arrival

"You have to know, you're making me even more curious than I already was," Tony told said, looking at 'Luna' sitting across from him. The meal was done, dishes being cleared away and dessert menus being laid out. He leaned back in his chair, eyes locked to hers and an easy grin on his face.

She smiled and shook her head at him. "I don't think there was anything I could have done to put you off on that regard. Had I shown up and told you everything, you would only wonder why."

"True," Tony relented. "Guess the only thing to be do is pursue my curiosity."

"And I believe you would come to that conclusion either way, as well."

Tony laughed and she shook her head fondly. "Alright, so, dessert!" Tony proclaimed.

She reached for her menu, but stopped abruptly and stood. Her head whipped around quickly, before she dropped the menu. "I have to go."

"Wait, what?" Tony sat back up. "Why?"

She didn't reply as she rushed toward the door.

Tony moved to follow her. "Hey!" He grabbed her wrist.

She turned toward him in surprise. "I'm sorry, I have to go," She told him urgently.

"Why, what's up?" He questioned.

"I..." Luna shook her head, staring off into the distance. "It has nothing to do with you," She said softly. "I just have to go."

Slowly, worriedly, Tony released her and it was only a moment before she had rushed out the door.

* * *

Loki was panicking. Loki was completely and utterly panicking.

He had missed it last time, but he couldn't ignore it this time if he wanted to. After becoming so use to the energies on Midgard, the swell of dark energy was too strong to ignore. He had only one thing to compare it to, Thor's arrival. The All-father had sent him, just as he had last time. Only this time was worse. So much worse. He felt chilled to the bone, frozen with dread and fright and hope and not sure what to do with any of it or how to handle it. He wasn't surprised when, after quickly leaving Stark's company, he found himself on a rooftop in sight of Stark Tower. He had reverted to his male form almost instinctually, cloaking himself so that he was unseen, arms wrapping tightly around himself.

He was shaking and pacing, waiting, but not sure what he was waiting for. Thor was coming. Thor had to be coming. (Thor always came.) But he didn't know what that meant. He didn't know what to expect. Was Thor coming to kill him? Finally? After all that Loki had done, all the betrayals and horrors he had committed, was his brother finally coming to be done with him?

Thor didn't know (Thor was to not know) why Loki had done all that he had. That Loki still thought of Thor as his brother, that Loki loved him (resented him), that Loki never wanted to betray him. Thor would never know if he killed Loki before he could tell him.

Loki wasn't surprised when Amora arrived after him, sad and conflicted eyes meeting his own. He could feel the shroud of her magic keeping her cloaked as his was. "Loki," She said softly.

"I can't go," Loki said softly. "I can't go to him. I can't face him, Amora." Loki wrapped his arms tighter around himself, shaking his head. "He hates me. I betrayed him! I-"

"You don't have to go anywhere, Loki," Amora said soothingly, pulling him into a hug.

"I can't do this Amora," Loki said with absolute anguish in his voice. "He doesn't know. Thor never knows. And it'll be worse if it does."

"What are you talking about Loki?" Amora pulled away from him slightly, looking at him with confusion.

"I betrayed him, Amora!" Loki exclaimed. "He thinks I stole the throne from him and got him banished on purpose! And we fought. Twice we fought! He thinks I tried to take over Midgard. He thinks-"

"Loki-"

"I stabbed him, Amora!" Loki yelled, tears in his eyes. "I never got the chance to... He must think I'm a monster. I AM a monster! And the All-father has... has probably told him everything. What if he's coming to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Amora repeated. "Loki, you're not making sense."

The far off crash of thunder made them both fall silent. The sky began to rapidly fall dark and they both turned to look at Stark Tower, knowing that to be Thor's destination. They watched as the lightning flashes came closer and the sound of thunder became louder.

Loki closed his eyes, feeling the storm around them. He whispered, a clap of thunder drowning out his words. "I can't face him."

"Loki." Amora's whisper sounded choked. He opened his eyes to watch her, keeping his gaze resolutely away from the sky, where he knew his brother approached. Amora's eyes were glued to the image of Thor and she stepped toward the edge of the roof, towards Thor, watching.

Loki didn't look at Stark Tower until he saw the red and gold colors of Iron Man streaking through the sky. He watched the mortal as he landed and went inside, but he was still frozen in place, unsure what to do.

"Loki," Amora whispered. His eyes turned back to her as she held out her hand to him without turning to face him. She couldn't see Thor anymore, but she couldn't seem to look away either. Loki hesitated as he reached out to take her hand, knowing where they were going and dreading it. He closed his eyes just as Amora teleported them, unseen, into Stark Tower.

* * *

"Man of Iron," Thor greeted with strained exuberance. "It is good to see you again."

"Hey, big guy!" Tony replied as the armor peeled itself off his body. "Long time no see. What brings you back?"

"Not good news, I'm afraid." Thor sat heavily on the couch, looking sad and weary. "My brother has escaped from his imprisonment."

"What? How?"

Thor looked away, obviously deep in thought. "I am not certain," He began hesitantly. "But he has been free for some time. My mother was covering for his absence with an illusion."

"Okay, what?" Tony asked as he moved to his bar. "Why would she do that?"

"I do not know." Thor rested his elbows on his knees and pressed his fist to his lips. He closed his eyes a moment as he took a deep breath. "I begin to suspect that something is happening more than I have been told."

Tony poured himself a drink and leaned against the bar. "Okay, tell me what happened, start to finish."

Thor turned back to the mortal man. "My father bade me to leave Loki with him as soon as he was returned. A week later he was placed into a cell and my father forbid anyone from visiting. My father was the only one to see my brother, but he would not say anything except that Loki needed time to come to his senses. My mother seemed to disagree with my father's opinion, but she never spoke of it."

"So all we've got is more questions and no answers," Tony sighed. "Let me ask you something about your brother. After you guys left, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense."

"Like what?" Thor asked with a confused look on his face.

"Well for one, almost all of those alien bodies disappeared," Tony told him. Thor's brow furrowed with more confusion. "For another, very few people died during the attack. All the damage was mostly to buildings."

"That cannot be so," Thor said.

"Yeah, that's what we thought, but it is." Tony downed what was left of his drink. "Even those agents we thought he'd killed when he first arrived turned out to be alive. Their deaths were faked."

"My brother has always been one for tricks, but I cannot imagine why he would do such a thing."

Tony let this information sink in between them, watching Thor's contemplative expression. It was clear that he didn't know much more than the rest of them, which meant Tony was still without answers. He sighed, before getting Thor's attention again. "So, I have a theory." Thor looked to him with sadness and the barest thread of hope that Tony could say something that might make this all make sense. That could somehow fix this entire situation.

It was not a weight that Tony wanted to bare.

"Alright, so, I've been working under the assumption that there was something else that Loki wanted," Tony admitted. "I have no idea what, but he had to attack Earth for a reason, right? And I can't see any reason to let those agents live, to tell us where they were, which he did, unless he had something else in mind for the end game."

"What could your Shield agents offer?" Thor asked. "Did he take them only to secure the Tesseract?"

"Even if he did, he wouldn't have to tell us where they were," Tony argued.

"I'm afraid I have no answers for you, my friend." Thor sighed heavily.

Tony thought for a moment. "So, what do you think he's going to do?"

"I do not know," Thor replied. "I only know that I must find him."

"Well, listen, I've got room here, so if you need somewhere to stay..." Tony shrugged.

Thor smiled and stood, moving to stand before Tony and slapping a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, my friend!"

* * *

Loki couldn't do it. Standing there, hidden (as invisible as he always felt in Thor's presence, as ignored as he feared to be in Thor's presence), watching his brother just made him more shaky. He longed to reach out to Thor, his body was primed to run. He needed Thor. (He needed to get away.)

Standing here gained him nothing. He knew that Thor would not know anything. (Thor is not to know.) Eavesdropping on this conversation only wrecked his nerves. Shaking his head, Loki decided to leave before he... well, he wasn't certain what he was building up, but it was probably best not to do it.

Amora couldn't take her eyes off of his brother. Her look was one of love and heartbreak. He knew he shouldn't leave her there. (Shouldn't trust her there, alone with his brother.) But he couldn't stay another minute, couldn't spare a thought for anything other than how he thought he might fall to pieces if he stayed in that room. So he left.

He didn't return to Victor's castle, however.

Loki teleported to one of his apartments. The white one that he had taken Raven to when he first found her. The one that he keep all the precious things he took from Asgard that he hadn't trusted in the presence of the villainous man. (Or in the presence of Amora, if he was honest, as this was a place she did not know of.)

He went into his bedroom, reaching into the wardrobe, which was actually empty, because as often as he visited his apartments (safe houses), and did check on each of them regularly, he had not spent a night at any of them in months. Clothes and the like were all at the castle. And Loki could use his magic to summon those if need be, no need to scatter them. The only thing in this heavily warded hiding place was the bag his mother had given to him. He had unpacked everything that was practical to do so in the castle- healing tomes and the like- but the personal things, he kept hidden here. He could have kept them hidden on his person, but some things he just didn't like hiding away like that. He needed to know these things existed somewhere in the real world and were not hidden by his magic.

There were only a few things inside. A mirror, one of a magically connected pair that could be used to contact his mother, a couple of healing stones (he kept them hidden in several of his apartments as well as in the castle), and a set of boxes that held very important memories. He took those out.

These were important. They were important to Loki. (Sometimes Loki thought they were more Loki than he was.) These were his lies and these were his truths. They couldn't tell him what Thor thought, but they could tell him what he'd said. Or, what he hadn't said, at least.

Loki opened the red box, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand when he'd pulled it out of the bag, but big as a suitcase when he opened the lid. There were books inside, each one labeled with a different person's name, all different sizes. He reached for the one that had Thor's name on it. The only thing that would ever be in this books were lies, so Loki just had to look for what he feared and hope that he did not find it.

Looking through this book never failed to hurt Loki in some way. He could fool himself sometimes, lie to himself, but this book never failed to tell him what he knew. This book could not lie about what was already lies. (He wondered briefly what he would have found had he looked through Odin's book more often or more thoroughly. Wondered what he would find if he looked now, but dared not do it. Some part of him would fall apart if he had to let go of the small thread of hope that still wound strongly around is heart with the All-father's name on it.)

Look searched for the words 'I love you', for the word 'brother'. If it was here, that would mean it was lie. Things that were true did not appear in this book. Things that became true disappeared from the books. Hope was a heavy burden sitting just on the edges of his heart.

Loki couldn't really keep the hope from turning to heartache, though.

He wanted to be happy when he didn't see the searched for words or anything that indicated Thor's affection to be a lie, but that really didn't mean as much as he wanted it to. The book would only tell him what he knew was a lie. (Or what his magic could reveal to be so.) And it couldn't tell him what his brother did think. This couldn't tell him if Thor thought he was a monster. It couldn't tell him if Thor hated him. (Loki knew it was possible to both hate and love someone, after all.) It couldn't tell him Thor wanted him dead or would never trusted him again.

Loki was curled up in a ball before he realized what he was doing, tears falling from his eyes. Loki had never not known what Thor thought. Thor had always been completely transparent to him, whether by design or perceptiveness. This... not knowing... was the absolute worse thing. (Though if Thor did hate him, that would easily become the worst thing, but Loki had to try not to think of that.) Thor so rarely lied to Loki and even when he did, he rarely did it well. How could Loki not know whether or not is brother wanted to kill him. How could he not know whether or not Thor loved him still.

Loki reached for one of the other two boxes, pulling the blue one closer. The one filled with Loki's lies. The only thing he found inside of that box was a mirror. "Thor doesn't want you." He told the reflection. But he wasn't brave enough to reach into the box and see if he found the lie. If it was a lie. (If he thought it was a lie.) "You are not Loki," he told the mirror. "I am Loki."

It was something he had said many times, but he never knew where he would find the words later. Loki was someone loved by Thor. That had always been true. He hadn't even been Loki before he was loved by Thor. (Children on Asgard were not named for a few weeks, and Frigga had told him that Thor loved him as soon as he'd seen Loki.) Who would he be, if that wasn't true? If he became someone not loved by Thor? Surely that being could not be Loki. Loki couldn't be something not loved by Thor. The only option would have to be that there would not be a Loki, but he didn't know what that meant, either. He had only ever defined himself by definition of what Thor was (what he wasn't).

Loki suddenly felt the unbearable need to have his brother. To know that the connection between them still existed. He shifted into his brother's appearance, but the Loki in the mirror did not change, of course. (It could, but it did not. Loki was not Thor, but he wasn't trying to be at the moment, and his magic knew things like that.) "I love you, brother," He said in Thor's voice, but his own sadness made it lack the right inflection. It sounded like a punishment. Like Thor loving Loki was a punishment placed on the thunder god. That thought made Loki break into tears again, and it was all the worse for hearing it in Thor's voice.

Loki suddenly knew, with absolute clarity, that he couldn't do this. (He didn't know what 'this' was exactly- it was everything, or anything, but he couldn't do it either way.) He stayed their, on the floor, for a very long time.

* * *

"I can't find, Loki," Amora said as soon as she teleported into Victor's lab. The Asgardian was looking more ragged than Doom had ever seen from either of them. They had thus far seemed impervious enough that he really did believe them gods. While he couldn't break past whatever magic sealed off their rooms, the cameras he had installed in every room of his castle still functioned. They seemed to need less sleep and food than mortals. In the first weeks of their stay, Doom did not see them sleep even once. They could have, of course, only slept when he did or slept when they were out, but after staying up one week straight to watch them on his cameras and timing how long they were gone during that period, it seemed improbable. They also seemed to think nothing of skipping meals, especially if distracted. They could go as long as weeks without food or eat everyday with no ill consequence that he had thus far seen.

The restrooms connected to their rooms seemed completely superfluous, as well. He did not know if there was some magic that they used instead, but they seemed to have little need of bathing. They could sweat, as he witnesses during their sparing, but their bodies didn't seem to produce all the access oils that a mortal one did. Aside from blood or sweat, their bodies rarely seemed to need cleaning. They mostly seemed to do it for pleasure, and just as with eating or sleeping, it did not need to be a regular occurrence. The scents that their bodies produced (something like ice and mint from Loki, something stiff and floral, but unlike any plant on Earth, from Amora) their odor did not change. And they produced no waste at all. Not once in all the months they had been guest in his castle did he see either of them make use of a toilet. (Doom was a scientist, after all, and he could do more research than simply opening things up and taking them apart. He studied those in his home as closely as he could.)

Now, knowing that these beings were magic, he could have been fooled, of course. Loki, at least, was well aware of the cameras in his room and had (seemingly) taken no steps to disable them. He occasionally smiled at them or made some other obvious and outrageous gesture when he thought Doom was watching. (He often had been.) Amora had not done anything to bring attention to the fact that she knew she was watched, but he had listened to the gods conversing often enough to know that she was no fool. And they neither seemed to take offense to the watching or did anything to discourage it. If they were crafting illusions to fool his camera or otherwise tricking the information he was gathering, he had no way of knowing it.

Since the moment they had appeared in his life, they had been as impeccable and impressive as he expected any god to be. He had not seen them come to any harm that they did not inflict upon themselves, but Doom had tried numerous times, creating more and more powerful bots to face off against them and coming up short each time. They could be knocked down, but he had yet been able to cause either creature to bleed, strong and fast as they were.

It was, therefore, completely jarring to see Amora standing before him as she was, eyes red and tear stained face. He had seem emotion, the barest hints of, anyway, from Loki. Mischief and amusement most prevalent, determination and a semblance of affection, but not much more. (There was more when Loki had exposed his true form to him, but Doom had not been able to decipher what it was that the trickster god felt during that exchange.) Amora had been even more of an emotional enigma. Aside from the occasional moment of anger at her fellow god, she had been all amusement or complaints, and he knew she did not mean half of her complaints. Insults and complaining came to her as amusement and mischief to Loki, both natural and feigned, an image more than an attitude. Truthfully, he did not think them capable of emotion the way that human beings were. If there was emotion to either of them, he would have expected it to be Loki. Something that could alter it's shape so easily could just as likely alter itself, he supposed.

Doom had never thought it possible that either of them could cry.

Doom decided not to bring attention it, though. He was not exactly one for comfort and didn't know what a mortal could say to comfort a god even if he were to try. "What do you mean?"

"I mean just what I said," Amora answered, her voice slightly elevated in either concern or anger. "I looked for Loki and cannot find him." Irritation, Doom decided, was what he heard in her voice. That was at least familiar. Doom had learned to ignore her complaints, she made them like she was a spoiled princess appalled to be cast out from her royal trappings. (Which Doom found amusing, knowing that Loki was the actual royalty and she was not.)

"Why were you searching for him? Has something happened?" Doom asked his questioned even as he prepared to search for the other god's tracker.

Amora pressed her lips together more tightly and a long stretch of silence made him think that she would not answer. "We were together, but he got upset and left. When I tried to find him, I found my magic was blocked from finding him."

"That is unusual?" Doom questioned.

"If it were not, would I be here telling you to look for him!" Amora yelled.

"You have not told me to do anything of the sort." Doom didn't really know why he was antagonizing her. It was something he and Loki did often, but his conversation with Amora had never quiet been the same. Usually, he responded to her by ignoring her complaints and speaking calmly, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to pull everything he could out of her. Emotion, information, it was equally valuable research to him and he wouldn't waste an opportunity to gather a wealth of it.

"Then do so!" She replied. Doom had taught both her and Loki had to monitor the trackers not a day ago, so he knew that she would be able to tell he was doing so by looking at the screen. She was either not looking or too distraught to pay attention. Interesting... but also unnerving, what had her so distracted?

"What upset him?" Doom asked, turning back to face her. She was staring off in the distance, but turned to face him when he asked his next question. She looked like she was only now realizing something very important. Perhaps forgetting he had not been privy to whatever apparent calamity had caused this upset in them.

"Thor... Loki's brother... he has come," Amora said quietly.

Doom recalled Loki mentioning he was hiding from other gods. (And something apparently worse that wanted Earth.) He wondered if there was something particularly frightening about this god or if his arrival was just the first of many. Doom needed to put more focus into his creations. He had several prototypes that he had deemed too lethal to send against the Avengers, but had perhaps just found use for.

"He is in New York," Doom answered. "He has places there, yes? As you do?"

Amora glared at him, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the watery red eyes. The woman looked hurt, but not angry. "Where! Tell me where so that I may retrieve him."

"If he is somewhere you cannot find him, maybe he does not want you to," Doom answered. "I assume this god... Thor... was not made aware of Loki's presence?"

"No, but... " Amora paused and looked away. "We were together and he left. He blocked me from finding him. I... I didn't follow him right away. I don't know..."

Ah, guilt. That was the urgency. Doom closed the tracking feed. "If you believe him to be upset, you might want to leave him to it for a bit. You hardly seem in the condition to do him much good."

Amora looked for a moment as if she may argue, but did not. She disappeared in a flash of green, instead. Doom sighed. He needed to get more information on this Thor.


	10. Loki and Doom Debate Safety

In the future, Raven decided that she would ask for explicit definitions on important concepts. It seemed that she and Shield had very different understandings on a few words. For instance, when she heard the word 'abandoned' she imagined a place that was empty, but Shield seemed to be under the impression that the word was more synonymous with 'filled with people waiting to ambush you'.

Also, in the future, she would put more trust in Loki, who'd warned her about putting too much trust in Shield.

Black Widow, as it turned out, was good to have in an ambush situation. Raven supposed that being both superhero and spy would have to make one pretty adept. Having an electric taser bracelet didn't hurt either. The woman had kept two of their attackers at bay between that and her own skills with hand to hand. (Raven was going to ask Doom if he could make something similar for her. She was no slouch at fighting, but between magical alien gods and genius mad scientist, having a few toys of her own would not hurt in the least.)

Of their five attackers, one was temporarily downed by the combined efforts of her and the Widow, two were still fighting the assassin, and the other two were trying to pin Raven down. Flexibility was one of he greater assets. She twisted out of the reaching hands, jumping slightly to send a kick to her second attacker's face and then kicking the first guy away with the same foot as she spun around. Fighting them wasn't seeming to do as much damage as they wanted. The men, all with varying degrees of glowing red beneath their skin, were stronger and their skin got hotter the longer they fought.

Glancing toward the Widow, she saw the woman able pin one of her attackers with a combination attack from the widow's bite and the crushing power of her thighs around the guy's neck. (A move that Raven made note to study once she was at back in Doom's castle, sudden very glad for the camera in her choker.) With the efficiency and precision of an assassin, she quickly twisted the guy's head until their was an audible snap. It looked to take a bit more strength than expected to snap the man's neck, but that train of thought was cut of when she was grabbed from behind.

The hand tightly wrapped around her wrist burned. Enough that she let out a scream and was frozen for a moment with the pain. She pulled herself out of it as quickly as she could, in time to kick out at the next approaching man, pushing him back far enough that Natasha could deliver a follow up blow to the head. It barely stunned him, but he stopped moving a moment, Natasha had jammed a dagger into the side of his throat. Thinking it was done, she turned from the fallen opponent, but Raven watched as the injury began to knit itself back together before her eyes.

"Natasha!" She called in warning. She couldn't say more before her other wrist was grabbed and another harsh wave of pain washed over her. Two scorching hands pressed into her neck, cutting off the sound. The skin touching her was getting hotter and hotter.

Black Widow moved quickly. Raven couldn't see what she did to the man whose throat had begun to heal, but a jolt of electricity distracted her strangler long enough for Widow to get him off. Raven jumped up and forward, pulling against the man holding her enough to get her her legs between them. She leaned away from him further, gaining the leverage to slam her foot into his jaw and causing him to release her. She twisted just fast enough to avoid breaking her neck when she fell.

Then one of the men began to scream, clutching at his own skin. Raven remembered the image of the explosion from the previous day. "We have to run. Now!" She said.

Black Widow had precisely no objections in taking off and Raven was quick to follow. They were only a room away when the explosion happened and Raven screamed as the wall of intense heat crashed into her back. The Widow was just ahead of her and around the corner enough that she couldn't feel it enough to burn. Raven used all her concentration to hold her form while the pain washed over her. She would never hear the end of it from Loki or Amora if she didn't.

"Lockley?" Natasha was kneeling beside her once the heat died down.

Raven couldn't bring herself to speak and only nodded. She could hear the spy speaking into an ear piece, but Raven really couldn't focus well after that.

* * *

Raven's burns weren't that bad, thankfully, but they were still very painful. Her wrist were angry and red, sore even though nothing touched her. Her back felt even worse. Black Widow promised that they would hurry back to base to treat her and she couldn't really think of anything other than how to get out of it. She wanted the burning in the wrist and back to go away, but she also didn't want Shield giving her medical attention of any kind.

Raven startled slightly when Black Widow sat beside her. The woman was looking at her in a decidedly less hostile manner than before. "Hey," She began. "That was nice work out there."

"Thank you."

"Where did you learn to fight so well?" The Widow asked.

"Here and there," Raven answered. "I knew a few people in the military." She shrugged.

Natasha nodded. "I picked up a few good moves that way."

"How'd you learn that take down move?"

A small smile touched Natasha's lips. "Personal preference. I can do a lot with my thighs."

Raven smiled in return. "Signature moves?"

"You might say that," She replied. "If you're lucky, maybe I'll teach you sometime."

Raven decided that the woman wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The Shield base was under attack when they returned. That was interesting. Raven figured that that would make it easier for her to slip away without much trouble. Her burns needed very much to be treated and any excuse not to have that happen under government watch was one that she was willing to take. They had only been at the base for minute before the wall was blown in and Doombots rushed through. She very much hoped that Doom was not about interrupt her while she was, as Loki called it, 'working'.

Which was entirely too much to hope for, as the Doombots immediately rushed towards her and the Widow and grabbed hold of them.

Well this was awkward. Was she suppose to go with Doom? Fight him off? Which would be more suspicious?

It didn't seem to matter either way. The Doombot latched onto her very tightly and there was absolutely no room for her to get free. Both her legs and arms were held in a near crushing grip by the bot, almost like they were made for holding people against their will. Which was very disturbing. Perhaps she should reconsider her living arrangements. He'd already put a tracker on her and now she was trapped by one of his creations. Her mind began to draw a few worrying comparisons to Magneto, but her thoughts were interrupted before she could continue that thought.

One of the Doombots near her exploded and she spotted Hawkeye with his bow and arrow nearby. She didn't get to see much, except for Natasha rolling free from an exploding arrow. The bot holding her was moving too quickly. The bot only slowed when it passed by a room that she spotted Doom standing in. As they passed, the man was pulling something out of a computer and walking toward her. She wasn't the only captive. A few Shield agents had also been caught and the bots followed after Doom as he left.

"What the hell is this?" Raven yelled. It was part panic and part annoyance. She really did not like not knowing what was going on.

"Do not question, Doom!" The man commanded.

"I'll question if I damn well feel like it!" She yelled again.

The man glanced at her barely a moment. "You are not in any position to do so. Be silent and you shall be safe. Follow the lead of your fellow agents."

The last thing Raven wanted to do was be silent, but it wouldn't really do her any favors if she had an outburst at the moment. Doom really wasn't doing her any favors by being in his 'stage persona' as they had taken to calling it. She hadn't forgotten how intent the man had been to experiment on her or study her. He still eyed her like something that he wanted to dissect. Doom looked at all of them that way. He hadn't had his mask off around her very often, but she could tell just by the way his gaze seemed to follow one of them around a room. Magneto used to look at her (and other mutants) like they were power waking.

A very nervous part of her wished that Loki was somewhere near.

Outside the base were more Doombots. Doom seemed to be going all out this time. He usually never left behind anything for Shield to study, not wanting the possibility of their scientist (or Stark) to learn too much about his creations. She didn't know how he was planning to stop that from happening when he let them loose in an enemy base.

"How about we let the hostages go and make this easy for once?" Iron Man appeared suddenly before them. She could see Captain America behind him and further off the Hulk seemed to be crushing as many bots as he could get his hands on.

"I believe you have other things to worry about," Doom said. He took out a device and pressed a button and all the Doombots that were not holding hostages began to explode. And anything near them began to catch fire. "Priorities, Iron Man. Chose yours."

The man clearly hesitated, weapons trained on Doom.

"No need to dither, Iron Man," Loki, as Luna, spoke softly as she was walking in front of them. "You really should do something about the base. Trust me to handle Doom."

Iron Man hesitated another moment before finally flying off.

Luna looked at Doom dispassionately. "Whatever you are doing, I care not what, desist."

"Doom takes orders from no one!" He said.

Luna walked over to Raven, pulling the restricting arms of the bot away from her, and the mutant fell into the gods arms. "Luna," She whispered softly as a healing hand traced over her wrist, then with a darker look healed the injuries on her back and neck.

"Did Doom harm you?" She demanded.

"No, this happened before," Raven answered with a sigh of relief. Relief both for the pain ebbing away and for the gods arrival.

With a nod, the god turned to face Doom. A crash of thunder rent the sky and Luna froze for a moment. The absolute stillness worried Raven and Luna's arms tightened around her when rain began to fall and the sky darkened all at once. "You had best take cover or face defeat," Luna told him. They moved out of sight before the Thunder god arrived. Luna's attention seemed split for a long moment before she focused on Raven. "You are well?"

"Yes, I... you have good timing," Raven said. "Or you and Doom are getting reckless."

"Doom is getting reckless," Luna nodded. "I am here because you called for me."

"What?"

Luna ran her hand through Raven's hair, moving it away from her face. "I heard your prayer."

"I..." Raven wasn't really certain what to do with that. She didn't realize how much she had been panicking or that Loki would be able to hear it. "I didn't..."

"You were frightened," Luna went on, completely heedless to the mutants flustered stumbling. How was one suppose to respond to a situation like this? "Did you think Doom was going to harm you?"

"Um..." She wasn't quite certain how to respond to that either. To a certain extend, she always thought Doom wanted to do her some sort of harm in the name of science, but it was usually a background feeling. She both trusted and distrusted him.

Luna just nodded, as if Raven had given a completely reasonable answer. "Would you prefer not to return to the castle just yet?"

"Yes." Raven was glad to be able to finally answer a question she was asked. And not to have to return to the castle just now. Her thoughts about Magneto and Doom made her feel... uncomfortable at best.

Luna reached out to remove the choker. "I ask that you not remove the bracelet," She said. "Just in case." Raven nodded her agreement, but she didn't know that she wouldn't remove it anyway later. Luna's eyes traveled back to the battle. The heavy rain had put out most of the fires and Doom had made his escape. The gods eyes seemed to linger on the god of Thunder.

"Who is that?" Raven questioned.

"My brother..." Luna answered then they teleported away.

* * *

Loki left Raven at one of his apartments. Not the one that he had taken her to before, his things were still scattered over the bedroom floor and he didn't want anyone else near them, but one of his lesser used places. He considered taking her to Amora, but decided against it. Amora didn't need to play babysitter right now and Raven didn't need a watcher.

There was no food in the apartment that Loki left Raven in, but there were stashes of money hidden everywhere around the place. She ignored the piles of gold coins, though she was tempted to keep some, she also stared for a long time when she discovered the various gems hidden about the bedroom, fighting the temptation to take any of them. (It would not be a good idea to steal from a god.) Interestingly, it was in the kitchen that she found American money, hidden away in one of the cabinets. She took this as explicit permission to take the money for food.

She didn't actually do this right away. She explored the apartment first, which was more sparely furnished than the other Loki had shown her, but that was done with quickly. She spent a few minutes pacing the living room, staring at the bracelet that Doom had given her, debating whether or not to keep the thing or toss it out the window.

Raven could practically feel the metal of the Doombots still wrapped around her, reminding her more and more of the last fallout that she'd had with Magneto. Raven and Magneto had had more than one fallout in the past, so had she and Charles to be honest, but their last encounter had been worse than anything that came before it. Never before had she ever been afraid of Erik. Never before had she ever felt so betrayed by him. They'd been separated before, had to leave each other under less than ideal situations, but she'd still trusted him.

She no longer had any trust in Magneto. After their last encounter, she was convinced that he cared more about his distrust and hate for humans than his support for mutants and their rights.

Revisiting Magneto's castle had brought a lot of memories to the surface. She had spent a good amount of time with Erik in that castle, including their last. The stone walls were familiar, the halls had almost felt like home, but the basement had filled her with chills.

She remembered their last fight. It had started with a simple discussion, with him more hinting than telling her what he planned to do as he tried to get her to help him. She'd been reluctant to say too much to Shield, unwilling to completely betray her once friend, and afraid to give any part of the government more reason to fear or hate mutants. His plan of "converting" humans to mutants was something that she'd been skeptical about at best, but when he'd shown her the results, she was horrified. Experimenting on humans was no better than what the humans had tried to do to them and she had wanted no part of it. She didn't know whether working with a human to make that goal made it better or worst, but she was against it either way.

Seeing how much pain they seemed to be in with liquid fire traveling through their veins had been awful. He'd tried to convince her that they just needed to be stabilized, that her DNA could be the key, but she'd had more than enough of people trying to experiment on her. The fact Erik then tried to force her compliance was perhaps the worst part of all of it.

Most people thought that the metal controlling mutant was nearly invincible (she'd thought that for a time, too), but she was glad now that he wasn't. The only reason Raven knew that she meant anything to him was that his guard had been down enough for her to get the jump on him. Attacking him before he could finish strapping her down and doing him enough damage that she could get away.

Raven contemplated that something was wrong with her that she kept falling in with men like Erik and Doom. Even Charles, righteous as he pretended to be, would use his power to get what he wanted with little hesitation. Even thinking that, though, she still contemplated going to him for help. It had even been her intention before Loki had found her. (And it was perhaps a selfish part of her that hadn't told him about Charles as a source of potential aid, just so that she'd have someplace safe if she needed to run again later.)

Raven curled up on the couch, staring at the table with the small pile of money she'd gathered in preparation for getting food. She didn't feel like going out. She didn't really feel like moving. Her eyes also went to the tracking bracelet. Essentially, Victor and Erik wanted to do the same thing to her. The only question was who she'd be in the least danger with, and at least with Doom, he was still holding himself back. Well, as far as she knew. The attack could have been the prelude to him strapping her down to one of his work tables in his lab.

Did it really matter whether or not Doom could get a hold of her if Loki could? His look earlier made her firmly believe that the god would not let her be pried open by the man and he could find her if she called. Well, if she prayed. Which she hadn't even meant to do. What if she couldn't do it a second a second time?

Sitting as she was, curled on the couch and staring at the bracelet that was a direct line from her to a scalpel happy maniac, Raven couldn't help but deeply lament her life. She hated Magneto. She hated Doom. And most importantly and most deeply, she was pretty certain that she hated Extremis. Regardless of whether or not Magneto was able to get it right.

* * *

Loki wanted to go back to Shield's base to see his brother. He wanted to go back to his apartment and curl up on the floor. He wanted to talk to his mother, who he was at least assured still loved him. (Though he chose not to think about whether or not she thought him a monster. She never said so, but never said the opposite either.) It wasn't really an emergency, though, even if it felt like one.

He didn't do any of the things that he wanted to do. Instead, he went to Doom. The mortal had an embassy in New York that was really only used during times like this, when attack or retreat was imminent. The man was grumbling to himself about the loss of his hostages and Loki let out a deep and loud sigh. He didn't care what Doom did when it didn't involve Loki, not really. But there was chaos, something that was perfectly acceptable, and then there was being just plain sloppy. Loki did not condone sloppy plans, even if he himself sometimes made them.

"What were you trying to accomplish, Victor?" He said it with a heavy sigh. He felt tired, like it had been a long time since he'd been home. He almost missed the feeling he had while leading the invasion, when it felt like he would be able to go home if he just completed his task. Except that he didn't have a home waiting for him. He couldn't return to his mother's embrace, his father didn't want him, and his brother didn't love him. He didn't want to talk to Amora, either. She didn't know that Thor would hate him and she had her own feelings with Thor to deal with. And Loki very much did not want to see Amora giving Thor that look like she had done when he first arrived. He didn't want to have to think about the fact that Thor might want her more than he wanted Loki. (He didn't want to consider how horrible such a thought made him.)

"Collecting information," Victor answered.

"From Shield?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "And you could not think of a more covert way to go about it?"

"I did not intend to be covert," The mortal answered. "I wanted not only information, but personal opinions. I was going to question a few of their agents."

"My agents," Loki said pointedly. He had recognized most of the people that the Doombots had captured and he hadn't forgotten any of them.

"Yes."

Loki took a step forward. "And why were you specifically after the agents that I took control over?"

Victor actually let out a sigh. "I wish not to upset you."

Loki tilted his head as he looked at the man, but was unable to gleam much from the armored form. Victor only gave himself away with his movements, if he was still, the armor protected his thoughts as well as his body. A part of Loki wanted not to pursue this line of questioning any further. If it truly was something that would upset him, he did not wish to be upset in front of Victor. Loki knew the scientist was looking for weaknesses in them all. It was simply his way. It was Loki's way, too. He didn't think this was something that he should drop however. If Victor thought it would upset him, then the man already thought that it was a weakness of Loki's and he was trying not to use it.

Rather than comfort Loki, he found the thought disturbing. Was Victor trying to protect him? What did he know that could do so much damage he actually wanted to protect him?

Loki thought he might regret his decision, but asked anyway, "What information were you after?"

Victor watched him silently for a long time before giving an answer. Loki was not fond of the pause. Victor preceded to answer with caution. "Amora made mention of another god's arrival." Loki could feel the scrutiny of Victor's gaze as his body became absolutely still and a halt came to his breathing. "The myth's are not to be trusted, so I sought out a more accurate source."

"Why?" The word came out as a gasp, startled out of him.

"If I recall, we were expecting a god to come for you," Victor answered. The words were careful and slow, filled with caution. "Without information, we cannot very well make counter measures."

"No!" Loki protested. "No, don't-"

"Don't what?" Victor's voice hardened slightly. "Don't make counter measures?" Loki began to nod, but the mortal wasn't finished. "Do not be prepared to aid you? Do not make preparations for defense in case we are attacked? Do not keep you safe?"

"What?" Loki's eyes widened at the outburst. "S-safe?"

"Yes, Loki, safe!" Victor repeated vehemently, taking a step toward the god. "Protected. Unharmed. The concept is familiar to you, yes?"

_'No.'_ A part of Loki wanted to answer._ 'It's not familiar. It's completely unknown.'_ But that wasn't true. "Safety" to Loki had never been "being unharmed." Safety was knowing that Thor would come for him afterwards to make everything better and spend his rage on those that had harmed Loki. Safety was Odin arriving from the Bifrost before the Joutunn's killed his sons. Safety was his mother holding him after everything had already had already gotten as bad as it could get.

Safety was aftercare, not precaution. You could not be safe before something happened, only cautious.

Unharmed was something that Loki knew absolutely nothing about. No one is Asgard was ever 'unharmed', it simply wasn't the way.

Loki understood what Victor meant, however. The meaning wasn't what stopped him in his tracks and flooded him with confusion. The idea that Victor was trying to offer it, however...

"Why... What concern is it of yours?" Loki questioned.

Victor's hands clenched at his sides, an expression of anger that he was trying to repress. "Let us say that it is no concern of mine whether or not another gods takes you away. Is it my concern whether or not he tears through my castle to do so? Is it my concern that he holds status as one of the Avengers and therefore stands in the way of my ambition?"

Loki couldn't speak. Irrationally, as he knew the mortal posed no threat to his brother, Loki wanted to tell Victor not to attack Thor. Loki didn't want this to have anything to do with him. He wanted to stand between the mortal and his brother. He wanted the mortal to stand between himself and Thor. He wanted this situation to not be happening and he wanted to not be a coward.

Victor took a step forward. "You stay in my castle," Victor spoke fiercely. "You are a member of my household. I have the right to do with you as I please."

"You have no such right!" Loki protested, appalled that the mortal would speak to him in such a way! And further appalled when the man ignored Loki's comment completely.

"If I want to toss you out, that is my right!" He stepped towards Loki. "If I want to slam you down onto my operating table and open you up, that is my right!" Another step. "If I want to protect you from errant gods, then That. Is. My. Right!" Victor was standing right before Loki now, his voice at a shout.

The god was completely lost as to what reaction he should have. He wanted to refute any claim that the man thought he could possible have on him. Mortals do not have rights to gods. Another part of him felt the sudden desire to stand down. The shock and warring emotions made his voice come out in a breathy whisper, the shock clear in his voice. "No it's not."

"I can do with you as I please!" Victor growled, grabbing Loki's arm. Loki's answering glare was automatic. This was not an unknown side of Victor. He often made such claims, often made attempts to lord over them all as Latveria's Ruler and Lord of his castle, with varying degrees of sincerity. Likewise, he was either humored or ignored to various degrees.

"You dare think you can stand up to a god!" Loki spat out angrily.

"What do you suppose that I am doing, now, trickster?"

Loki tore his arm from Victor's grasp, forgetting his strength and watching as Victor was thrown slightly off balance. "Nothing of me is your concern!"

Victor's swiftly backhanded the god, and Loki was pushed back slightly with surprise. "You are my concern if I say you are!"

"No, I am not!" Loki returned the blow and the mortal was thrown against the wall. Loki was too angry to be concerned with whether or not he hurt the mortal, but he still hadn't used anything close to his true strength. He wasn't that angry.

Victor took a moment to push himself away from the wall and stand back to full height. "It matters not what you say, trickster. I will have what I want and nothing so meager as a god is going to get in my way! Not you not your damned brother! If I have to, I'll kill him myself!"

"You will do no such thing!" Loki growled dangerously.

Victor barked out a harsh laugh. "Does the mighty god suddenly fear a mortal's power!"

"I'm warning you, Victor-"

"No! I am warning you, Loki!" Victor was full on shouting now. "You are mine, trickster! Amora is mine! Mystique is mine! I will use you all as I please and if it pleases me to keep that blundering oaf of a god away from you, then I shall do so no matter what any of your opinions are on the matter! If I have to tear apart Shield and the Avengers and personally interrogate every being on the planet to find out how to do so, then I will do so mercilessly. I need no permission and I will not apologize."

They stared each down for a long time, multiple emotions warring inside of Loki. Finally, before his anger would lead him to kill the possessive and presumptuous mortal, Loki teleported away.


	11. Gods and Goddesses, A Breakdown Analysis

The Shield base was significantly less destroyed than they expected, once it was all done. Thor's arrival and accompanying rain kept the fires from getting out of hand, few were hurt by the explosions, and Doom had to sacrifice his hostages to get away. All things considered, it was a pretty minor incident.

And that was why Tony thought that something was up. Doom did not do minor incidents. Everytime he showed up he did it with a bang and ton of damage. The only reason he hadn't been causing too many casualties was because someone else had been evacuating the areas. There was also the question of how Doom found one of Shield's bases in the first place.

Tony wanted to ask about this and a million other questions, as usual, but other people actually had things to say for once. Once clean up was done- "clean up" being putting out the fires and making certain that no one was on the verge of death and "done" being delegating any other task to the still functioning Shield agents- Fury pulled them all into a meeting. A few looks were given to Thor, who hadn't gotten the chance to tell anyone else that he was back on world, but he wasn't the first to speak. For once, that was Natasha.

The Black Widow had a rare look of worry on her face as she reported. "Lockley has yet to be recovered," She said to Fury. It was like the others weren't even sitting right there. Confusion was clear on most of the other faces. Fury had his signature scowl, perhaps slightly more severe than usual, and Hawkeye looked neutral. Neutral like "I know what's going on, but I don't care," rather than, "I don't know, but I don't care".

"She was taken by Doom?" Fury questioned.

"One of the Doombots had her, but I was unable to see whether she was taken or able to escape," Natasha replied.

It was then that the name kicked started in his memory. Lockley, Project Lock. "I saw her," Tony spoke up before he'd really thought about it. Everyone turned toward him, whether they knew what was being discussed or not. "Luna said she'd take care of the hostages."

"Who?"

Oh, right. He hadn't mentioned talking to their good samaritan stalker yet. He hoped he wasn't going to get an earful over that, too. He didn't want to have to put off his questions even longer. "The mutant chick that healed Natasha," Tony elaborated. "She showed up to confront Doom. I saw her there with that Lockley girl. She said she'd handle it."

"Did she 'handle it?'" Fury asked, tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Well, the hostages are safe," Tony replied, unwilling to admit that he'd left before seeing what happened.

"How did you know her name?" Clint asked.

Tony mentally swore. Spies paid attention to everything. "She told me."

"You spoke with her." Fury's glare was in top form this meeting.

"Yeah..."

"When?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a demand.

"After one of the battles," Tony lied immediately. He didn't know why he was unwilling to tell Shield how he'd found her, but if they hadn't yet, he didn't want to be the one to out her. Plus, if she stopped showing up to their battles because Shield starting waiting for her, Tony would never get to talk her. As it was, he was dying to know why she ran out on their date yesterday. "I saw her, talked to her, she told me some things." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"And when were you going to share this information?" Fury asked.

"Pretty soon, actually." Tony leaned back in his chair, making himself look irritatingly comfortable. Because he was Tony Stark and could not resist provoking others in some way. "It only happened yesterday. And hey, look! Other big news! Thor's back. Been kinda busy with that." He'd done absolutely nothing for Thor other than give him a room and instruct Jarvis to deal with him. He was too busy contemplating his current enigma.

"When did you get back, Thor?" Steve spoke up.

"Yesterday," Thor answered. "I came with unfortunate news."

"Great. Just what we need," Clint muttered.

"What news?" Bruce asked.

"My brother has escaped."

"What?" Everyone exclaimed.

"How the hell did he escape!" Fury demanded.

Thor hesitated before answering. "I am... unsure at the moment." Well that was interesting. The god didn't tell them what he'd told Tony. Then again, Tony wouldn't want to admit it if his mother had had a hand in the escape of a dangerous criminal. It wasn't like they knew anymore than Tony did, so the details weren't really pertinent to them, he supposed.

"You think he'll try to take over Earth again?" Steve demanded.

"I do not know," Thor sighed. "I am not certain what my brother is thinking just now."

"How long has he been here?" Clint asked. His voice was suspiciously calm. Tony would have expected a bit more... outrage.

"I do not know precisely how long he has been missing from his cell. He was forbidden to have visitors. It is estimated to have been some months now."

Clint went quiet and contemplative at that, shooting looks to Fury -who ignored him- and Natasha -who met his gaze without so much as a flinch- before frowning and staring at the table. Last time Tony had tried to get information about what happened when Loki had control over him, Clint had refused to budge. Maybe this time he'd be more receptive...

"Wait a minute," Tony said, his mind replaying the earlier parts of the conversation. "Lockley, that's evacuation girl. Why was she here?"

Fury's gaze cut over to Natasha for a moment before he answered. "She came to us with information about that combustion incident the other day. She claims it's the result of some sort of experiment and that it's somehow connected to Magneto."

"The mutant?" Steve asked.

"I told you, it's always mutants," Clint said to himself.

"And you were going to share this with us when?" Tony asked, giving Fury the same look that the man had leveled at her earlier.

"I only got back from my reconnaissance mission when the attack began," Natasha said. "And you interrupted her first attempt to tell us anything about the incident at all, so you wouldn't have been the first call, Stark."

Tony huffed at that. "I'm deeply offended by that, you know."

The red head just smirked at him, but didn't respond.

"So, just to summarize," Bruce interrupted calmly. "Loki's on the loose and Magneto is planning something that causes people to combust. Anything else we should worry about? Do we know why Doom attacked?"

"He hacked into our system and tried to kidnap several of our agents," Fury answered. "We don't know his motivation for doing so, but we can assume it was information. We haven't determined what he was looking for."

"What about the agents he tried to kidnap?" Tony asked. "Any special thing they were involved in or did he just grab people at random?"

There was a pause before answer was given by Fury. "We haven't finished evaluating-"

"Bullshit! You know something," Tony interrupted.

Fury gave him a look before releasing a sigh. "He was after Loki's agents."

Hawkeye tensed at that, but stayed silent, fist clenching atop the table.

"What do you mean, Loki's?" Thor questioned.

There was another silence. "The ones he controlled," Clint bit out.

"Are we really calling them Loki's agents?" Tony questioned.

"Stark," Clint hissed, his eyes skirting tentatively toward Fury before meeting Tony's.

"I mean, it isn't like-"

"Stark!" Natasha cut in sharply. "Whatever you have to say, don't."

Tony raised his hands in surrender, looking between the two agents. Another thing to add to the list, he supposed.

"So," Steve jumped in, trying to diffuse the tension. "We don't know what Doom wanted, we don't know where Loki is, and we don't know what Magneto is doing."

"For a secret organization whose job it is to know things..." Tony let his statement trail off.

"Can it, Stark!" Fury complained. "Anything else anyone wants to bring up?" When no answer came, Fury continued. "Then dismissed. I've got better things to do." With that Fury turned and left the room.

Tony immediately turned to the two spies. "Okay, now what was that about?"

"Nothing," Natasha said quickly. She stood and went toward the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Steve asked. "We should talk about this!"

"I've got something else to do," Natasha answered. She left without a backwards glance.

Tony turned to Clint. "Alright birdbrain, you wanna tell us what's up?" Tony questioned.

Clint let out a sigh. "Fury isn't... convinced..." He began.

"About what?" Tony asked.

"He doesn't get how the whole mind control happened," Clint went on. "So he doesn't know that it won't happen again." He paused. "He doesn't think it ever stopped, really."

"Has there been anything..." Steve began hesitantly.

"No. Not from any of us," Clint answered. "And Fury... went through a lot of trouble to be certain about it." The dark look in the archer's eyes spoke of a story none of them wanted him to tell. Tony asked anyway.

"What did he do?" Steve asked.

Clint looked away from them for a few minutes before answering. "Re-education," He said hesitantly. "Shield... doesn't usually do that stuff, but Fury wanted to be sure that when push came to shove none of us..." He shrugged.

Tony thought back to the archer's absence just after the invasion and the dark he had at the first few meetings. He clenched his fist tightly.

"Whatever you're thinking, Stark, don't think it." Clint pushed away from the table. "We don't have time to have a problem with Shield right now. We have Loki, Doom, and Magneto to deal with."

"But if we didn't?" Tony asked.

Clint's voice was low when he answered, low enough that Tony didn't think whatever cameras might be in the room would be able to pick it up. "I don't have anywhere to go," He said softly.

"Plenty of room at Stark Tower," Tony said causally.

Clint met and held his gaze for a long moment, searching. After a moment, he nodded then rose and left the room.

"Shield takes things too far," Bruce said lowly.

Tony nodded in agreement, but wasn't certain what to stay. He was definitely unhappy about the implications, but for once he didn't know what he could do about it. "Let's get out of here," He said to them all. "We go to the Tower and pretend like we don't have three villains all plotting something at once."

Steve shook his head at Tony, but smiled and followed him out of the room anyway, as did Thor and Bruce. Thor could use something to take his mind off his brother. Bruce could use something to take his mind off of Shield.

* * *

This was a dream.

Loki was able to realize this immediately. As a dream walker himself, he could tell when his dream was being influenced by outside forces, and he waited, wondering what could reach his mind beyond the wards that surrounded is apartment.

The dreamscape was hazy at first, the smoke slowly coalescing into the landscape around them until the form of his mother was walking toward him and the dreamscape changed into that of Frigga's garden. All the tension flowed out of him as he watched her approach and he let out a deep sigh. "Mother."

"Hello, my son," Frigga smiled at him sadly. She opened her arms and Loki readily fell into them. "How do you fare, my Loki?"

Loki shook his head, trying to bury himself further into her embrace. He clung to her tightly for a moment, letting the feeling of home and safety wash over him. Frigga combed her fingers through his hair and he whispered softly, "I miss you."

"And I miss you, my Loki." She pulled him in more tightly a moment before pulling slightly away. "I am here to warn you, Loki. I concealed your absence as long as I could, but I could not do so forever."

Loki just nodded at her and said, "Thor is here."

"That is not what I am here to warn you of," She told him. "Your father knows that unless Thor is able to capture you and reclaim the Tesseract, he will not be able to return. Even now, he is searching for someone that can cross the realms under their own power."

A pit of worry swelled in Loki's stomach. There were very few that could travel the realms freely. It was a feat of power and skill that not many possessed and dangerous enough that even those that had the ability did not always survive their journey. Loki could do so and long ago he'd shared his skill with Amora, but he knew of almost no one else with the power. Certainly no one in Asgard.

Loki swallowed his nervousness as he asked, "Who?"

"I do not know," She answered him. "Your father and I are... at odds... since he discovered my deception. He was not happy that I kept him fooled so long as I did and he does what he can to keep me from knowing his mind any more closely than I already do."

Loki frowned at her. "You are not-"

"I am fine, Loki," She smiled fondly at him. "Your father has not endeavored to harm me in any way and I am capable of dealing with him. I've weathered centuries of his temper before and I shall do so again."

"I am sorry."

"You do not need to apologize, my son." Frigga took Loki's face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "You are my son, Loki. I will protect you from anything that wishes you harm. If that means your father, then so be it."

Loki smiled at her. "Be safe, mother," He told her.

"You as well," She replied. "I love you, Loki."

"I love you, mother."

Frigga pressed a final kiss to Loki's forehead as the dreamscape began to twist and fade back into mist.

Loki woke from his dream with tears at the corners of his eyes, still feeling the phantom touch of his mother's kiss pressed to his forehead. For the first time since he left Asgard, he had a moment of feeling truly at peace. Something was coming for him and he knew not what, but for now, for now he was still safe. Loki let the feeling surround him as he dropped back off into true sleep, pleasantly dreamless.

* * *

Amora had discovered a few things about Midgard when she was away from the castle. While Doom had taught her practical things about Midgardian technology, Mystique had introduced her to it's culture in more detail. One thing that she found out was that Midgard was made for people like Amora. She was a goddess of the flesh, lust, passion, and devotion were what gave her her vitality, and there were multiple places where such worship came easily.

It was something that Loki would love.

It was the romance of casual chaos. Darkness contrasted by flashing lights, blaring sounds that the mortals delusioned themselves into believing music, a tight press of body loosened of their inhibitions. As soon as Amora took one step into the club she felt like she could breathe.

She wasn't wearing her mortal disguise, so attention was lavished on her as soon as she entered. She felt their admiring gazes like caresses upon her skin, and she felt like their touches like a pulse beneath her flesh.

Midgardian alcohol was terribly weak, but she was certain if she consumed enough of it, it would eventually begin to affect her. If she lost herself in the press of bodies, in the feeling of worship, in the element that appealed to her nature most, she would forget, for the moment, about Thor.

It was under an hour before Amora had the attention that she desired. Men and woman alike trying to press themselves closer to her, the taste of their prayers on her lips as they vied for her attention and hoped they would be taken away or pulled into her arms. And the passion of the mortals for each other was heady in the air. It made her shudder and sigh as the tempest of bodies increased around her, but it wasn't enough. It had never been enough for her to feel the lust and passion of others, it had never been enough to symbolize devotion when it was not aimed at her. It was a feeling of constant hunger, continuous longing, and persistent wanting that she tried to fill. Amora needed their adoration to feel whole as a god.

Only Thor had ever caused the tension to ease inside her. Thor was the storm. He was power and passion personified. He was a tempest all on his own and was the only thing to ever satisfy her. Thor could be devoted in ways many others seemed incapable of and in the end it was Loki's fault.

Loki was a force of change and chaos that irreparably altered those he touched. He was the reason Sif was able to become a warrior when no woman was encouraged (or approved of) on the battlefield. He was the reason the Realm Eternal had fought off stagnation. One could not love something in constant flux the way Loki was without learning true devotion, could not so finely commit their heart without a firestorm of passion. Loki had practically cultivated Thor to be the only one that could love her and then he selfishly blocked the thunder god from giving that store of love and passion to her!

Amora had to constantly forgive Loki in order to remain his friend. She loved and hated the god of mischief on occasion, but no emotion was stronger between them than jealousy. Loki never begrudged her Thor when she pursued his heart, but he'd blocked her every attempt to gain a magical advantage. Loki eclipsed everyone for Thor's attention and always had. The thunder god had room enough in is heart for others, but he didn't have eyes for anything but his baby brother.

Thor couldn't hate Loki if he tried.

Amora had considered taking Loki for her own in Thor's place, but Loki had a love affair with the universe that no one could not compete with. Chaos and change called to him and he couldn't resist the pull. It had taken his attention away from Thor for glorious decades at a time, it had swept him off into other realms, it had herald him into whirlwind romances and destruction and disasters alike. Loki could not be more devoted to anything than he was Thor, and even that paled in comparison to his love of mischief. Loki would dance in a tornado of fire if he thought the chaos of it would disturb or disrupt those around him. It was only that Thor was a tempest, was a force of change and constant motion, that Loki could be devoted to the god of thunder at all. They were meant for each other and Amora hated it.

Loki could not devote himself to her. Loki could likely not even love her. Passion was an old song and dance in the universe. It might burn hot and heavy, but it didn't change. It was a near endless cycle of feeding on itself, renewing itself in still burning flames. It moved others, but it didn't move itself. There was nothing new about lust and devotion was by nature constant. As gods they were ruled by what they presided over. Amora was in turns shallow as lust could be, impulsive as passion demanded, and obsessive as devotion required. She didn't change, but she was a facsimile thereof. It was her effect on others that allowed her and Loki an easy friendship. He was in love with the fallout.

Amora suddenly wished that she'd brought Skurge with her, instead of leaving him to guard their home. She missed the constant feeling of devotion that he radiated. It was so natural to be around him, to have that low level worship buzzing beneath her skin. Her executioner only displayed true passion during battle, though, and that was simply not enough for her. If it wasn't so important to remain hidden, she would have brought him along, but Skurge was not covert and she could fetch him when the need arose.

Amora let out a sound of frustration that was lost to the pulse of music around her. It wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. Only Thor ever had been. She missed the feel of him, the hum of electricity just under his skin, beneath her fingertips. She missed his energy and temper, so easy to rouse and to anger. She could feel the tension that flooded her body when he was so close as well as she could feel the anger and passion rising from his very soul. She missed the beautiful sight of him.

She suddenly wondered if it would be worth burning this place down just so that she could see that sight of him, glorious with fury and wild with righteous indignation. She sighed, moving through the crowd and draping herself over a bar stool, arms folded on the counter and head buried in her arms, closing her eyes. She missed Thor. She loved Thor. It hurt to think about him.

She wondered, if she'd had more time, if he would have chosen her. If the All-father had not interfered, if she had not been banished, could she have persuaded him?

"Hey! Don't I know you?"

Amora didn't move to respond to the voice. She didn't even know (or care) if it was directed at her. She only sighed again. It wasn't enough and it felt like starving, sometimes. She needed more than only devotion, as Skurge gave her. She needed more than just lust and fleshly passion, though she'd used it to take the edge off her constant hunger and longing, it never lasted long. Maybe it wasn't in her nature to be satisfied, but Thor had not left her feeling such longing.

Amora opened her eyes as she unfolded her arms, surprised to find a face hovering very near to her own. "Ha! I knew it!" He proclaimed and it took her a moment to realize it was Tony Stark hovering so close to her. "You and your twin are the ones that destroyed Doombots a few weeks back."

Amora blinked at him. She and Loki had done that. She remembered. The day they'd argued and Doom had been injured. "What about it?" She asked him.

He sat himself right next to her, drink in hand. "Why?" He asked simply.

Amora wasn't really in the mood to talk to this mortal or play Loki's game of making allies. Amora was never one for the long games, really. She frowned at him as she answered. "Are you still thinking about that? Don't you heroes have better things to ponder?"

"As it turns out, no," He answered, drowning his glass and placing it down on the counter. "Plus, I'm a genius. I can multitask."

"If you're such a genius, why can't you work out the answers to your own mysteries?" Amora replied, laying her head back on her arms.

"Touche," He replied. He flagged over the bar tender ordering a refill of his drink and something in a more dainty glass that he held out to her. "Here, you look like you need a drink."

Amora didn't even hesitate. She plucked the glass from his hands, removed the toothpick with the olive, and downed the drink in one swallow. She handed the glass back as she ate the olive, tossing the stick aside.

"Huh. Something stronger, then," Stark mused.

"What do you want?" She asked him. "I'm not going to answer any of your questions, Stark."

The man just grinned at her. "You say that now, but just wait until you have a few more drinks in you."

Amora let out a heavy sigh. "You really do remind me of him," She said to herself. "Silvertongue and all."

"What was that?" He questioned as he held another glass toward her. It was then that she noticed something very important. Siting up quickly, she looked the mortal up and down, frowning. He was looking at her, but that was all. And there was something very off about that. Mortals always reacted to the presence of gods, her in particular. Lust in particular was a reaction that she often got from mortal men (and sometimes woman, as well). Even among the gods she was exceptionally beautiful and this mortal seemed more interested in asking her questions than admiring her. It wasn't impossible that someone would be able to resist the urges that pulled others toward her, but it certainly wasn't common. Not when she wasn't even wearing a glamour.

"Why aren't you trying to touch me?" She asked him. She was staring at him with narrowed eyes look of suspicion. Mortal with resistance to the gods were traditionally not good things, or not mortal at all, but she could tell that Stark was definitely mortal.

Stark looked thrown off for a minute, then he sighed and placed the glass he'd been trying to hand her on the counter. "I'm a bit more interested in answers right now, not that I'd turn you down..."

Amora wasn't really listening, still staring at him with intense scrutiny. Doom had never displayed any overtures of attraction towards her, but he was no less affected. The first few months of exposure especially. He watched her when she was in the room, subtly or otherwise, and whatever reason he told himself, she knew it was because of her body, her dominion. He was more drawn to Loki, though, because mortals were always pulled toward their patrons. Loki had claimed him and that had power. Loki had claimed the Avengers as well, hadn't he? Or had the mortal given himself to Loki and that was why?

"You want Luna," Amora said, the name for Loki's female self coming to mind easily. Raven had gotten them all calling him that. She'd seemed big on nicknames. There was a story there, but Amora hadn't cared enough to pry into it.

Stark was looking at her with open mouthed surprise. "What?"

"That would explain it..." Amora said to herself. Chasing a god could do that, mark a heart like a claim. Though Loki did seem fond of the mortal, so maybe he had claimed him. She reached out for her drink and downed it again in one sip. "Tell me about her."

"Again, what?" Stark looked completely thrown off. Amora smiled widely. It was the kind of grin that would make Loki proud.

Devotion came in different forms. Commitment, obsession, passion, it was equally heady to her. Nothing was quiet so satisfying as feeling those things directed to her herself, but there was still something strong in pulling it out of others. It was one of the things that endeared her to Doom. The mortal was paranoid of any flesh baring pursuit, but he had passion aplenty. This one, too, had a passion that she could feel. Muted when she'd been distracted with her own sorrows, but obsession was written all over his skin.

Amora smiled and met his eyes. "Tell me about your obsessions, Stark." She briefly debated if Loki would be upset with her for temporarily enslaving one of his pet mortals. (The answer was obviously yes, but she went over the arguments anyway to decide whether or not she would comply.) She reached out to place her hand on his chest.

Just like that, the power that had briefly entangled him snapped. He flinched back, stood immediately. Her fingers flexed at the contact a moment before she lost it, feeling... something from the mortals body right where her hand had rested.

"Whoa, hold on, there!"

Amora looked at him curiously. "Perhaps I should invest more attention into you Avengers," She mused to herself. She stood, moving close enough to him that she could steal a kiss. She could taste obsession and passion and worship of the flesh on his very lips. This mortal was an indulgence to everything she held dominion over. So why, then, did he belong to Loki instead of her?

Well, she didn't know definitively that he belonged to Loki, but he certainly didn't belong to her. Why? Was it destined that Loki would steal from her until the End Of Days?

Still, the contact settled something in her. Soothed the hunger as other mortals had been unable to. There was something of magic, or very like, inside that mortal body.

She took her leave after that. Best to go before her thoughts came full circle again. Best to sleep before the thought of him haunted her mind any longer.


	12. The Drinking Game

Loki could not stay away from Thor. He wanted to. He wanted to hide someplace that he would never have to deal with the reality of how Thor did or did not feel about him. He wanted to pretend that everything was fine, locked away in his pure white apartment where his lies were the only truth he needed. He missed his brother, however, so when he heard the call of thunder through the sky, he followed it.

He had not returned to the castle. He had not seen Amora or Raven. He had not left his apartment, except on the occasion that he went to Thor.

Thor never saw him, of course. Loki may not have been able to resist the temptation of his brother's presence, but he wasn't a fool. Whatever Thor wanted, it wasn't good and it, at the very least, involved taking him back to Asgard. That could not happen. So he followed Thor when he left the Tower, usually in search of Loki himself.

Loki wondered how Thor thought he was going to find him. Then again, maybe he thought Loki would just come once he knew that Thor was looking. Considering that that was exactly what happened, Loki could not truly call his brother's plan foolish, ill thought out perhaps, but not foolish.

Despite the fact that he was trying to stay out of Thor's sight and the fact that Loki was afraid to face his brother, there was a part of him, undeniable, that wanted to be caught. He followed Thor in his female form, not even cloaking himself with magic, just staying far enough away that his brother did not notice. He hoped, though. He feared. He waited.

Thor wasn't the one to notice him.

"You've been following him for a week, now."

Loki almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice of Iron Man over her shoulder. She looked quickly toward Thor, assured that her brother had heard nothing, then glared at the man who'd raised his face plate with a self assured smirk. "What are you doing here?" She hissed. They were nowhere near New York. Thor didn't limit his search area.

"I actually have a house here," Tony answered. "Little known fact about me. Also, when you own a suit that can fly, you can go where ever you want."

A small smile touched Loki's lips, but it was colored by nervousness. "Fascinating," She drawled. "I mean, why are you here bothering me?"

"Funny question that, I was wondering that same question about you and Thor."

Loki froze for a moment before letting out a laugh, tinged with the slightest bit of nervousness. "Have you been watching me, Iron Man?"

"Have you been watching Thor?"

Loki frowned. "You are being very insistent about this. Why would you think-"

"Because I've been watching you for the last week following Thor," Tony answered. "It's alright, I get it. Everybody's a fan or everybody's critic."

Loki let out a real laugh at that, then quickly looked over her shoulder at Thor. The god wasn't near enough to hear by a long shot, but she couldn't stop the apprehension. "You think I am following him because I am a fan? You think I'm a Thor stalker?"

Tony shrugged. "What else am I suppose to think?"

Loki continued to laugh a moment longer. "Yes, what am I to think? I leave your city and yet here you are, still chasing after me. One would think you've got an obsession, Stark."

"Well you did run out on our date early. That's reason enough to check up on you."

Loki smiled for a moment, but it faded quickly as her gaze wandered toward Thor. Her expression fell completely as she stared at the god and her voice was soft as she spoke. "I'm afraid that I'm not much company at the moment. If you were hoping for a second date, I think I'd be something of a disappointment."

"Doubtful," Tony answered. "Also, I take that as a challenge."

Loki looked back toward him. "Truly? I thought I was already clear on the subject of our interactions, Stark?"

"I would take that as a challenge, too, but that's not what I mean." Tony moved to stand in her line of sight when she turned back to look at Thor. "The challenge is that you're sad and you don't think that I can cheer you up. But! We are literally ten minutes away from my Malibu house, where contrary to popular belief, I have forms of entertainment that do not include my bed. Shocker, I know, but I happen to be a very fascinating person."

"Why do you care to entertain me at all?" Loki questioned.

"I thought I cleared this up on our last date, too."

"It was not really a date, Stark."

"You are fascinating," Tony said over her. "Even without your mutant thing, you're interesting to talk to. There are not enough people like that in the world for me to just ignore the ones that I find. Also, I want to take advantage of your sadness to get all the information out of you that I can."

That got a smile out of Loki again. "At least you're honest."

"One of my greatest assets."

"I think you mean the other thing, Stark."

"My good looks?"

"You are a liar, Stark, through and through." Loki shook her head at him. "Fine, I relent. If you truly wish to force your company upon me and torture me with whatever it is that you call entertainment, then I will not stop you."

"Great!" Tony replied brightly. He leaned down and scooped her into his arms and took off before she could complain.

Stark's house was more than ten minutes away.

* * *

"So what do you intend to do with me now that you've got me here?" Loki questioned as she paced around his living room. She was drawn to the large window, subconsciously searching the sky for storms as she stared into the distance.

"Traditionally," Tony began as he removed the suit and sat down on the couch, "This is the part were we would get to know each other."

Loki snorted at that, but didn't bother looking away from the glass. "I think you're trying to swindle a date out of me, after all."

"But!" Tony interjected loudly. "Instead of talking like boring people would do, why don't we just play twenty questions."

"Is the game as complex as it sounds?" Loki questioned sarcastically.

"Absolutely," Tony grinned. "And since I know we are both such open individuals," Tony rose and went to his bar, retrieving a few different bottles of alcohol, unsure which he planned to use, and a stack of shot glasses. "Whenever one of us chooses not to answer a question, we have to take a shot." He lined up and filled several shot glasses.

"I have an extremely high tolerance," Loki warned as she approached the couch.

"Then you take two shots," Tony answered immediately.

Loki smiled as she lowered herself to the opposite end of the couch. "Is this how you cheer up every pretty face?"

"Usually I pick the pretty face that don't need cheering up."

"So I'm a challenge for you?"

"I'd wager you're a challenge for everyone," Tony answer. He sat back on the couch, taking in the sight of his companion. Her dark hair obscured her face when she looked away and her pale skin contrasted it beautifully, making her green eyes seem unnaturally bright and compelling. He had to remind himself not to stare too long. Even though her top and suit jacket were cut to perfectly frame and emphasis her generous curves and the split in the side of her skirt emphasized the her long legs. "So, I'll start with something simple. Are you a mutant?"

Loki reached down and took both shots without pause. "My turn. Why does it matter?"

Tony shrugged. "It doesn't, really. I'd be curious either way, but that's the obvious thing to start with, right?"

"No," Loki smiled. "My turn again."

"What? Are you kidding me? That was not a question!"

"I believe that you mistake the definition of the word," Loki responded with a sharp smile. "Speaking of, you should chose yours carefully in this game."

"I'm starting to get that about you," Tony grumbled. He slumped back into the couch, folding his arms and pouting, mostly for effect. He rather liked the way she could out talk him.

"What do you want from me, Stark?" Loki met his gaze as she asked this.

"I want to pick you apart piece by piece and learn everything about you," Tony answered. "Why won't you let me?"

"Because I know the truth would scare you off," She said honestly. "What are you willing to offer me to get the information you want?"

Tony took a drink. Loki raised an eyebrow at this. He met her gaze, but didn't offer anything as explanation and her expression took on a considering look. "What do you want from me?" He questioned.

Loki took her two shots and Tony returned her raised eyebrow from earlier. "Why are you Iron Man?"

Tony thought a moment before taking his shot. "Why do you care about the Avengers?"

"I told you, I need you," Loki replied. "Something is coming and I can't fight it off on my own. What is the device in your chest?"

Tony froze for a moment. The glow of the arc reactor wasn't visible through his shirt. He moved deliberately, eyes on Loki, as he reached for his drink and took his shot. "Why do you want to know?"

In similar slow fashion, Loki deliberately took her two drinks. "Why are you still willing to play?"

"I told you, I want to know about you." Tony refilled the glasses. "What else can you do?"

Two more drinks. "How much do you actually wish to bed me?"

"A lot, but not as badly as I want to intellectually pick you apart. Why don't you want to sleep with me?"

"It would only prove problematic to my cause," Loki shrugged. "Has this not been twenty questions already?"

"Don't take the name so literally. And, no." Tony rolled his eyes as he answered. "So, you actually do find me attractive?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Stark, you are attractive. Do you ever think about anything besides your own pleasure?"

"I try not to as often as possible. Why won't you call me by my first name?"

"Because I do not want to become personal with you. Why are you so insistent?"

"Because I want to get personal." Tony moved closer to her. "What's your real name?"

Meeting his eyes, she took her two drinks. "Would you still wish to know me if you found out that I was a monster?"

"Even more so," Tony answered. "Because I'm betting that whatever reason you have for thinking you're a monster, you probably aren't. Do you think that you're a monster?"

"Yes. Do you always try to befriend monsters, Stark?"

"Yes. Why do you think you're a monster?"

Loki took her two shots and looked away. "I've done terrible things," She told him softly.

Tony considered that a moment. "You've done terrible things, but that isn't the reason that you think you're a monster?"

"It certainly doesn't help," She answered, still refusing to look his way. "What would I have to be to drive you off?"

Tony considered this question for a long moment. There was no easy answer to the question and he wasn't certain what answer to give anyway, so he just took a shot and asked, "Are you asking because you want to push me or because you're scared you will?"

Loki looked at him with surprise at that answer, finding his eyes holding a far too serious expression. Despite the drinks he'd had thus far, he seemed to become almost more focused and intense instead of less. It made her slightly nervous, but she didn't take a drink. "Both," She whispered in answer. "Why are you so willing to befriend people that identify themselves as monster?"

"The people that are the real monsters don't announce themselves." Tony looked away from her, his eyes gaining a far off expression. "If you think you're a monster, that means you feel guilty, and if you feel bad about the things you've done, you're already a step closer to not being a monster." Tony shook off his levity as he added, "Besides, sometimes monsters make the best people."

Loki stared at him in surprise for a long moment before shaking her head. "You mortals are insane," She whispered to herself.

Tony grinned at that, then her words seemed to catch up with him and he asked, "Why do you say mortals?"

Loki froze as if she'd been stunned, her eyes showing panic as she met his. Her hand moved toward the glasses a moment, but then she stopped. She bit her lip as she moved her hands back into her lap. "Because I am not," She answered. "What did you think of when you were talking about monsters?"

Tony's hand almost reached for a glass, too. "A... a friend that betrayed me. Why were you following Thor?"

Loki was completely caught off guard by that. A million answered jumbled in her brain, most of them contradicting each other before saying the simplest, yet most confusing of them all. "Because I couldn't stay away. What have you done that makes you identify with monsters?"

"I've killed people," He answered lowly. "Why can't you stay away from Thor?"

Loki took two shots. "Does it bother you? The killing?"

Tony hesitated. "Not as much as it should," He told her. "What are you running from?"

Loki stared into his eyes as she answered. "Everything. What are you running from?"

"Everyone," He answered. Contrasting his answer, he moved closer to her.

"I am not what you think I am," Loki told him. "I'm not what you see."

"No one is," He told her, moving closer. "What do you want to be?"

"Not a monster," She whispered. "Why are you moving so close to me?"

"Because I want to kiss you."

Their eyes locked and there was a reflected intensity in both green eyes and brown. "You will likely regret it if you kiss me," She whispered.

"Let me worry about that," Tony told her. Loki closed her eyes before the man leaned in to capture her lips. His lips pressed against her softly, massaging her own before trying to press deeper. A whimper escaped her as she opened his mouth and he slipped his tongue past her parted lips. One arm went around her waist, the other cupping her cheek softly before sliding up and into her hair. Loki's hand clung onto his shoulder, halfway between pulling him closer and pushing him away. She tried to pull away slightly, sinking her body further into the couch, but Tony's insistent lips followed her.

Finally, with a moan as his tongue slipped and swirled around hers, Loki grabbed tightly onto him and returned the kiss full force. She pressed her body against his as she took control of the kiss and Tony submitted to her readily. She felt suddenly ravenous for his touch.

She'd spent months in proximity to people that she hardly ever touched. Amora did not often do causal touches without them leading to (or trying to lead to) seduction, Victor encased himself in metal to avoid being vulnerable and touched by others, and Raven was too wary to allow them too close to her person too often. Compared to centuries around Thor who could hardly go a minute with touching Loki, hugging Loki, grabbing Loki and dragging him off somewhere... it had been a very lonely few months.

And Stark had been on her mind since the invasion, anyway. She wanted. It was very hard to remember that she couldn't have. 'Shouldn't have,' her thoughts corrected, but that thought only made her want more.

They were both panting when they pulled away, unable to look anywhere but each other's eyes. There was lust present in both pairs of eyes. Tony leaned in again, but Loki placed one delicate finger to his lips to stop him. "I told you that I would not bed you."

"I remember," He said.

"If you kiss me again, you may make a liar of me."

Tony grinned widely at that. "You aren't already?" He asked jokingly.

Loki's answering grin was more sly. "I'm trying to change my ways."

Tony chuckled. "Course you are." He slid a finger down the side of her face, lightly caressing her cheek before dipping underneath her chin and tilting her head up. "So am I," He replied seriously.

"And which of your ways would that be?" She asked him.

With a grin, he leaned away from her. Holding her gaze, he reached out to take another shot. "Guess."

Loki laughed and shook her head. "I should go."

Tony shrugged at that. "It's a big house. You could stay. I have to stick around a bit for boring company stuff and a boring conference that you could make less boring, by coming with me."

"To your company?" Loki gave him a look that clearly called him a fool.

"No, the other thing I said." Tony rolled his eyes. "You can stay in one of the guest rooms. I can introduce you Pepper. She stayed here sometimes. We can have a group date to see which of us get together by the end of the week."

Loki laughed at that. "You will regret that when I steal this Pepper away from you."

"Jokes on you, because I happen to have no problem with voyeurism."

Loki shook her head as she continued laughing. "I accept your offer."

"Awesome!" Tony shot up from the couch. "I'll show you your room. Oh, and let me introduce you to Jarvis."

* * *

After days of debating with herself and weighing her uncertainty against her fear, Raven finally came to a compromise to deal with her lingering memories and fear of Magneto. Leaving her bracelet in the apartment, unconvinced that she wanted Doom to be able to find her, she decided to seek out Amora. Neither of the gods had hurt her and, while she wasn't certain that Amora would protect her as Loki would, she at least wasn't afraid of her. And she didn't know how to find Loki without the other woman.

Being alone was starting to cause her too much anxiety, but she didn't want to go back to the castle yet. She wanted something to take her mind off of her memories and she and Amora had spent a lot of time together doing things like that. The woman had the ability to charm almost anyone into giving her anything, making it easy to go on shopping sprees, get into clubs free, and well, anything else they wanted.

"Raven?" Sharon Carter's face looked at her with surprise when she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know where else to go," Raven admitted. She was in the blonde body that was so familiar to her, wearing a dress that was very like Amora's usual wear.

Sharon scrutinized her a moment before her expression hardened. She reached out to place her hands on Raven's shoulders. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"You don't know?" Raven asked.

Sharon shook her head. "I have not spoken to Loki or been to the castle in some time," She answered. "I've been... distracted."

"Me, too."

Sharon pulled Raven inside, returning to her true form after closing the door. "Let's go to the spa, then you can tell me what happened."

Raven didn't have the chance to agree before they were teleported away.

* * *

Amora waited until after Raven had relaxed before she questioned her about anything. Just looking at the girl, Amora had been able to tell that something was weighing heavily on her mind, and the goddess was compelled to do something to change it. She was motivated equally by concern and guilt. It had been over two weeks she'd been to the castle and she had no idea what had been going on. The last time she'd talked to them Raven had been on her way to Shield and Amora was so caught up that she hadn't even checked to see that the mutant girl was alright.

Amora could admit to herself that she felt guiltier over Loki and that pushed her to try harder to cheer up Raven. There wasn't much that she could do for her fellow god and the uselessness was starting to eat away at her.

So lavishing attention on Raven was the best she could do. After they indulged in getting a long, deep massage and Amora was convinced that they were both relaxed enough to face their problems, she procrastinated just the slightest bit longer by going to get smoothies and walk through the park. Amora wasn't the best at comforting other people, but she was certain thoroughly distracting the girl before hand would be a good strategy.

"Alright," Amora turned to Raven, stopping under the shade of a few trees in the park. "Tell me what happened."

"What do you mean?"

Amora gave her a look. "You're upset, something happened, what was it?"

Raven looked away. "I went to Shield and they sent me to Magneto's castle."

"How did that go?"

"When we got back Doom was attacking Shield's base. And one of his Doombots captured me but Loki stopped him." Raven paused as she took a deep breath, having ignored Amora's question. The words had tumbled out her almost without thought. She looked at Amora then, curiosity in her gaze. "Can you really hear prayers?"

"Of course," Amora answered. "All gods can. Mostly, only the ones directed at us in particular, but sometimes we hear those that fall under our jurisdiction."

"What does that mean?" Raven asked.

"Loki is the god of chaos," Amora explained. "Prayers involving change, destruction, those would go to him. Or if someone was praying specifically to Loki then he would hear. Also, if we claim mortals as our own, place them under our protection, then we can hear their prayers as well."

Raven was quiet a moment. "So he really did hear me... I really... prayed to a god..."

Amora eyes hardened. "What happened?' She asked again. "Why did you have to pray to Loki?"

"I..." Raven began, but her words cut off abruptly as someone else began to speak.

"Finally found you."

Raven turned around frantically, her eyes wide as she stared at the man walking toward her, completely wild and completely focused on her. "Sabertooth," She whispered.

"We've been looking all over for you, girl," Sabertooth said as he continued toward her. "You had a good hiding place, wherever you were, but it's over now. Magneto wants you back."

Raven backed up a couple steps. "I'm not going with you!" She told him.

"Who said you have a choice."

Amora stood between the two mutants, hands and eyes glowing with magic. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Sabertooth moved into a crouch, growling out, "You wanna fight, girl!"

"Won't be much of a fight," Amora answered, hitting him in the center of his chest with a bolt of green magic that tossed him a few feet away.

"I wouldn't bet on that," A voice from above responded. The sky began to rapidly darken as two people floated closer to them. One had a crown of white hair swirling around her as the wind picked up, the center of the gathering storm, cape billowing out around her. The other was composed and intimidating, dressed in a similarly dramatic fashion with a cape a helmet both. "Hello, Mystique."

"Magneto," She acknowledged as she moved further away from him. Her eyes darted to the woman nervously.

"Oh, yes, you never meet, did you?" Magneto smiled, just on the edge of being malicious. "This is Storm."

"Creative," Amora said the words venomously. "But I suggest you leave her be. Mystique in under my protection."

The look Magneto sent her way was both disinterested and condescending. "And who do you think you are."

"I am the Enchantress," She proclaimed loudly. "And I am a god." She levitated into the air, but remained firmly planted between the two mutants and Raven.

"We'll see," Magneto said simply.

Storm made a quick movement and lightning crashed down onto Amora. The Enchantress' mouth opened as if in a silent scream, but she moved her arms enough to throw a powerful bolt of energy into Storm, knocking her back and ruining her concentration so that the lightning dispersed.

Magneto gestured toward her and Amora was pulled toward him by the bracelet around her wrist. "It would be best if you didn't get involved with this. I have no desire to kill another mutant."

"I'm not a mutant," Amora said, lashing out with her power, but Magneto recovered quickly.

"Good, then I don't have to feel guilty about doing this." The metal around her wrist unfolded from her quickly, but she caught herself before she could fall. The sharp edges pointing toward her, the piece of metal rushed toward her throat, but Amora teleported out of the way. "Do not think that I am so easily stopped." Magneto raised his arms and within a few moments the metal plumbing was bursting from the ground, shots of water spraying into the air.

Sabertooth had risen by this point, shaking off the shock of Amora's attack. His eyes went to Raven and he began to approach her menacingly, crouching to attack. "You gone soft already or are you afraid of your friend seeing what you really are? Hiding for humans again."

Anger flashed in Raven's eyes as she returned to her true form. "She already knows what I am and I haven't gone soft."

"Prove it!" He yelled as he launched at her. Raven ducked to the ground and kicked him in his stomach, launching him over her. Sabertooth rolled to absorb the blow, getting to feet and launching at her again, claws first. She dodged, but his nails raked own her arm and she hissed in pain.

The wind was increasing around them and the air became heavy with fog.

A clawed hand raked down Raven's back and she cried out. Sabertooth's laugh echoed around her. "Hard time seeing?" He taunted. He jumped onto her, pinning her to the ground, Raven kneed him in the stomach and crawled to his side. She slammed her elbow down into his back, but he was only down for a moment before he rose, growling.

Amora teleported away from the flying scrapes of metal that tried to impale her, sending waves of magic to intercept the shards of ice thrown at her by Storm. She teleported behind the weather manipulating mutant and slammed her fist hard into the back of her head, sending her sprawling toward the ground. She turned to face Magneto and met his eyes for a moment before metal burst from the ground and entrapped her limbs. Amora shrieked in absolutely fury at the look that Magneto gave her, looking down on her.

"You dare!" She yelled. The glow of her magic got brighter as she pulled her arms toward her body, ripping themselves free of the metal and blasting it away from her legs. She aimed a powerful blast at him, but he pulled up a sheet of metal as a shield as he moved away from her.

Then Amora'a attention was pulled awy from the man by the sound of Raven's scream. She looked to find the shapeshifting mutant in Sabertooth's grasp, arms pulled painfully behind her back on the cusp of being broken.

"No!" She yelled fiercely. She teleported behind the unkempt man, glowing hand going immediately to his throat as she lifted him away. "You will not touch her!"

Sabertooth gasped and growled as he tried to fight her, but she only squeezed tighter at his neck.

Then the sky began to flash and thunder furiously cried out around her. Amora froze, magic temporarily escaping her control as a feeling of dread pooled in her stomach at the crash of thunder behind her.

"What treachery is this, Amora?" Thor's voice boomed around her, the crackle of thunder ominously echoing the sound.

She dropped Sabertooth onto the ground, turning to face the God of Thunder as the mutant tried to catch his breath at her feet. "Thor." Her voice was weak with shock.

"What is this!" He demanded. "You are terrorizing mortals now?"

Her eyes widened. "No! This isn't-" But her word were cut off when a metal pipe wrapped itself around her throat.

Magneto lowered himself to the ground. "Thank you for providing sufficient distraction. She was becoming bothersome."

Storm was beginning to pick herself up from the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" Thor demanded, turning to face Magneto.

"I think we'd like to know the same thing," Captain America demanded as he approached them, shield held ready with Hawkeye and Black Widow on either side of him.

Amora pulled the metal away from her and blasted Sabertooth away from Raven. The man groaned as he hit the ground, but didn't get up again. She teleported beside the mutant, leaning over her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..."

The metal reached out to grab Raven, wrapping itself around her body. "You aren't going anywhere," Magneto proclaimed.

The green glow returned to Amora as she yelled. "Release her!"

Storm rose again into the air as a strong wind blew toward them, knocking the humans away, but Amora and Thor held their ground. Thor lifted Mjolnir at the assault. "You dare use storms against me, mortal? I shall show you a storm!" He hefted Mjolnir high in the air, calling thunder down from the sky and sending it toward Storm. The woman screamed and fell from the sky, but Magneto pulled her to his arms before she hit the ground.

Magneto's eyes met Raven's. "Next time," He told her. Metal snaked out of the ground and flung Thor aside as Magneto took off quickly, taking Storm with him.

Amora ripped the metal away from Raven and pulled the girl into her arms.

"I will not ask again!" Thor roared as he got to his feet. "What is the meaning of this, Enchantress?"

Amora kept her eyes on Raven as she answered. "Nothing that concerns you, Thunderer!"

"You are so certain?" Thor demanded as he stomped toward her. "Because I am certain that you would not be on Midgard unless it was to do with Loki and I demand that you tell me his location."

"This has nothing to do with Loki!" Amora yelled as she finally turned to face Thor. "And I can't tell you where he is."

"None of your lies!"

"Is that all that you are concerned about!" Amora yelled again. "Loki! Loki! Can any other word even come out of your mouth, Thor? Can you even see that you and Loki are not the only people in the universe?"

Thor narrowed his eyes. "If you intend to distract me-"

"You are already distracted!" Amora screeched, releasing Raven and taking a few angry steps toward Thor. "You are distracted from everyone and everything that is not Loki, Loki, Loki! Do you even care that I was just in peril? Does it even concern you how I am doing? How I feel? I haven't seen you in decades, Thor? Does that matter to you in the slightest? I could be living on Midgard for all you know!"

Thor began to eye her warily. "If this is some ploy for sympathy, Enchantress, it shall not work. You were banished with good reason and if you are conspiring with Loki-"

"I was banished because I am in love with you!" She yelled desperately. "The All Father demanded that I stop petitioning for your attention and when I refused, he called it treason and cast me out!"

Thor's eyes hardened and his grip on Mjolnir tightened. "I will not suffer your lies, Amora."

"And I will not suffer your ignorance," Amora said, turning away."You are blind, Thunderer. You have always been blind. The All Father is not the man that you believe him to be. Neither is Loki. And neither am I." Tears slipped own her cheek as she reached out for Raven, teleporting them both away.

"What... what just happened?" Steve questioned.

Thor stared at the place Amora had stood. "I am not certain that I know," The god admitted.

* * *

**A/N:** Just so you are aware, I plan to be AU in my use of X-men. Here, Storm has never been a part of the X-men, because Magneto got to her first.


	13. Luna Has FunDoom Comes To Collect

Amora raged as soon as they returned to her apartment. She let out a screech and grabbed hold of every breakable surface and destroyed it. She tore mirrors from the walls and slammed them to the ground, threw vases to the wall, kicked and upended furniture. Raven watched in startlement as the Asgardian fumed and the apartment was half destroyed in moments.

"Amora!" Raven called. She approached the woman tentatively, grabbing hold of one of her arms with both hands. "Amora!" She said again.

The goddess crumbled to the ground, sobbing heavily. She slammed her fist against the floor, resting her head against her closed fist, curling in on herself.

Raven kneeled beside her and Amora quickly wrapped her arms around the mutant's middle, crying into Raven's lap. "I hate all of this!" Amora cried. "I hate this! I hate it!"

"I don't know what's going," Raven spoke softly. "That was... that was Loki's brother, wasn't it? Why..."

"I need him," Amora said softly, barely a whisper. Raven leaned closer to hear the soft words, hesitantly wrapping her arms around the weeping woman. It was odd to her to be giving comfort to a god. Even during the battle, Amora had seemed invincible to Raven. No hit could keep her down, no trap had been able to hold her, her fury fueled her strength. And yet, a few words from another god had reduced her to this. Raven couldn't fathom it, but at the same time, it truly cemented the idea that they were gods, unable to be hurt but by one another.

"I need him," Amora whispered again. "He is the only one. I can have no one else. I want no one else. And he sees me as nothing! Worse than nothing. He sees me as a villain."

"I'm sorry," Raven whispered in return. She didn't know what to say to the weeping goddess in her arms. She rather wished, once more, that Loki was here. He was the only one whose words seemed to get through to Amora. Everything else, everyone else, just rolled off of her like water.

"I thought that once," Raven found herself whispering, surprising herself with the confession, but continuing on anyway. "About Magneto. I thought that no one else could... could want me."

Amora unfolded herself from around Raven's waist, looking up at her with a tear stained face and watery eyes. "It is not that," Amora said. "Everyone wants me. But it can only be him! No one else is enough! I need him!" She shook her head sullenly as she continued. "You cannot understand. You are only a mortal. You do not feel as we feel. It's like starving, Mystique. Everyone else, anyone else, I am left always wanting. And he... no one else looks at me like he once did. Once, he treated me like I had worth more than beauty. We were friends. And it was so close to what I needed..." Amora shook her head again, turning her pleading gaze away. "Why does this Magneto want you? And why did you once need him."

"Peope think I'm hideous," Raven answered. "He didn't."

"There are more hideous things among the realms than you," Amora told her.

"He thought me beautiful."

Amora looked at Mystique, still in her true skin. Her eyes traced the patterns along the blue skin critically. It was a look she was used to. Charles once looked at her that way wondering what he could make her, Erik had begun to look at her that way and wonder how he could use her, Doom looked at her and wondered what he could do to her. Amora's glance was without any obvious motive other than pure observation. Though the woman was not looking down on her, the eyes did not seem to judge her unworthy, but Raven could not read what might be in that gaze.

Without meeting Raven's eyes, Amora asked, "Why did you want him?"

"He thought me beautiful," Raven repeated.

"Is that what you want?" Amora's gaze met hers finally. There were still trails of tears, but the green eyes were clear. "You want to be thought beautiful. To feel beautiful?" For once, Raven felt as if Amora were actually looking at her. Usually she thought the woman's gaze, to some extent, passed right over and through them all. Even occasionally Loki. But right now she felt that she had Amora's full attention.

Raven felt suddenly nervous, heat suddenly flushing through her entire body. "I did," She answered hoarsely.

Amora reached out and placed her hands on Raven's face, cupping her cheeks. The green eyes that gazed at her looked almost intoxicated. "If you want it, pray for it," Amora whispered. "I'll hear you."

Raven closed her eyes, but she didn't pray. She didn't need to pray for anything as long as she felt those eyes on her. There was silence a few minutes before Raven felt those hands draw away from her. When Raven opened her eyes, the intensity seemed to have fled Amora. The sadness returned to her and she looked once more as if she were looking around and through, rather than at anything. Even though the Asgardian's gaze was looking away from her, Raven could easily see the difference.

"Tell me about Magneto," Amora said.

All the heat that had risen only minutes before was gone as if it had never risen. She felt like a haze had abruptly left her mind. "What... what was that?"

Amora glanced at her from the corner of her eye, but looked away again quickly. "That was... prayers are heady things. I thought..." Amora shook her head and asked instead. "What do you think it means to have the attention of a god?" Amora waited, but Raven wasn't certain if she should attempt an answer.

Eventually, Amora went on without one.

"Loki is made of chaos and change. Have you seen what happens when he is engaged in conversation with Doom?"

"They're usually working right?" Raven answered with uncertainly. "Ideas and explosions?" Raven shrugged.

"Mischief and chaos and change, yes?"

Realization hit Raven and she asked, "What are you god of?"

Amora's lips quirked in a bitter smile. "Passion, devotion, lust. Beauty, in a sense. Fleshly passions and fleshly pursuits. Desire." She met Raven's gaze out the corner of her eye. "It bleeds from me like air, it stirs by my call even if I don't consciously make it." Amora ran a hand down Raven's cheek. "Loki bid me be careful with his mortals. Often I bed and break them, in one manner or another. When Loki is not here to remind me, I forget to be careful. It is taxing to hold it in."

"You've been holding back?"

"Oh, yes. We have to on a mortal plane such as this. With such weak magic in the air, there is nothing to distract from our influence, it would easily overwhelm if we did not actively contain it."

"Oh."

"Tell me about Magneto." Amora repeated.

Raven laid back on the floor, being careful to avoid any broken glass. "I'd rather not. Tell me about Thor."

"I'd rather not," Amora replied in turn.

It was barely a hour before they both talked anyway.

* * *

"What the hell was that out there?" Fury yelled.

They were once again at Shied's base for a debriefing. Thor sat with a deep frown on his face, while Steve looked at him with concern, and Hawkeye looked at him with question. Black Widow had her head inclined curiously in his direction as well, but no emotion showed on her face. Tony was still out in Malibu, having not been needed for the non-battle, and Bruce was with him.

"Seemed like a mutant, fight?" Hawkeye shrugged. "Magneto and Mystique having it out?"

"We were able to capture Sabertooth," Widow offered.

"It didn't look like only mutants out there," Fury said with a harsh glare at Thor.

"Aye, it was not," Thor said with a heavy gaze. "Amora, The Enchantress, as she often goes by. Tis as sure a sign as any that Loki lingers nearby. They are friends of some time, but I admit, I know not what she was up to."

"It... didn't seem like she was up to anything," Steve admitted. "It looked like she was protecting Mystique."

"Why would she do that?" Widow directed the question to Thor.

"I'm afraid I am much in the dark, my friends. Amora has said much that I must think on," Thor rose.

"We aren't done here." Fury said.

"I've no mind for this now," Thor told him. "If I've more to say, I shall find you and do so." With that, Thor strode purposely out of the room.

It was quiet a minute before Steve spoke up. "Hate to say it, but we don't really know anything about what's going on there. There isn't much to debrief about is there?"

Fury's glare tried to burn through skin before he growled out, "Fine. Dismissed." He stomped out of the room.

Steve was left staring after the man in surprise. Widow placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "He just doesn't like being in the dark," She told him. "There's a lot that we don't know right now."

"Yeah... I guess there is."

* * *

Tony decided to get drunk before attempting to sober up. He had already shown Luna to her room and was now alone again in his living room, staring at the glasses on the table. He finished up the shots that were still waiting on the table. Before he could initiate his plan to sober up (or continue his plan get drunk), Bruce showed up. The man took one look at Tony and sighed heavily. "What are you doing, Tony?"

After a moment of consideration, Tony decided to show mercy to his friend and not answer in the most literal and sarcastic manner possible. Though honesty, Bruce should really know better and Tony wouldn't let him off so easy if he made the same mistake again.

"Bruce, buddy!" Tony exclaimed. "I'm glad you're here! Would you like to join me?"

"Not really."

"Next time," Tony said confidently. "Anyway, you should meet Luna." Tony stood up, too quickly it turned out, the room sharply tilting and taking a moment before straightening out. Maybe he'd done a better job of getting drunk than he'd intended. He swayed the slightest bit. "You're good at getting people to talk. Maybe you can get her to-"

"You've got a girl here, Tony?" Bruce asked with another heavy sigh.

"No, no. Well, yeah, but not like that." Tony waved him off. "Luna's great. You'd like her. She's just as sarcastic as you pretend not to be."

"Wait, did you say Luna?" Bruce asked. "As in the mutant that healed Widow? Tony, what is she doing here?"

"We were," Tony gestured to the table and empty shot glasses, found that that did not actually provide an explanation of what had happened, then shrugged helplessly. "Talking," He concluded underwhelmingly.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Talking?" He looked pointedly at the alcohol on the table.

"I mean, not only talking, but we weren't..." Tony made another gesture, quit halfway through, then leveled a stare at Bruce. "You know, you have a dirty mind underneath all that composure. Always the quite ones, they say."

"Tony! This is serious!" Bruce exclaimed. "We know nothing about her! How did she even know you were here?"

"Oh, well... I invited her."

Bruce removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You invited an unknown mutant to your house. Without telling anyone."

"I'm telling you!"

"Tony, why did you think this was a good idea?"

Tony shrugged. "She's interesting. You should talk to her. She's upstairs-"

"She's still here!" Bruce exclaimed, nervously replacing his glasses.

"I kinda offered for her to stay here..." Tony lowered his voice as he added, "For the week."

Tony didn't think Bruce's expression could display anymore disapproval or shock. "You didn't think -" Bruce stopped, took a breath, then approached from another angle. "Does Pepper know?"

"I'll tell her when she gets here."

"Tony!"

"Hey, Jarvis! Tell Luna to come down here, will you?" Tony said, raising his voice to talk over Bruce. At this point, he really didn't now why the man was still trying to reason with him. Tony was rarely talked out of his ideas after all.

"How drunk are you, Tony?" Bruce frowned at him sternly.

"I wasn't drunk when I invited her here. Not even when we were drinking. I just kept drinking after-"

"You didn't get enough of me earlier." Luna's voice projected as she came down the stairs and she stopped when she spotted Bruce. "Oh. Have I just given a terrible impression of myself?" She asked as she came down the stairs more slowly and cautiously. Her voice didn't have a hint of regret at her first words, but there was a slight wariness to her expression, as if she expected attack any moment.

"No, he already had that impression," Tony assured her.

"Ah. I'm to be known as your harlot." Her lips twisted into a small smirk. She held a hand out to Bruce. "Hello, nice to meet you." She smiled wider as he took the her hand. "I'm this houses concubine, how may I service you?"

Bruce stuttered at that, removing his hand quickly and looking wildly between Tony and Luna. Tony immediately burst into laughter as Luna smiled even wider. "What? More discretion?" Luna questioned.

"See? I told you she was great!" Tony insisted.

"Yeah, great," Bruce muttered lowly.

Tony turned to face Luna, gesturing to Bruce. "This is Bruce. Bruce, Luna. This guys is the best person you will ever meet. Aside from me, of course."

"Indeed, the best person is aside you," Luna responded.

Tony frowned at her, almost a pout, which only increased her grin. "I can't talk to this woman, you talk to her, Bruce," Tony gestured wildly as he reached down to pour himself another shot. "Make her stop being mean to me."

"Delegating your task to others, Stark?" Luna shook her head. She reached out and took the drink from his hand, downing it and handing it back. "Penalty for laziness."

Bruce looked between them critically. "How long have you two been..." He trailed off.

"How long have we what?" Tony asked. "Been dating?"

"We are not," Luna answered.

"Been sleeping together?" Tony suggested.

"We are not," Luna repeated.

"Been talking to one another?" Tony asked.

"This is mostly the second time," Luna explained.

"Yes. Those things," Bruce said. He sighed and sat down heavily on the couch.

The smile faded from Luna's face as she turned to Tony. "Is it alright that I'm here? Should I go?" She asked softly.

"No, you're fine," Tony assured her. "Bruce has a process for dealing with new people. It includes going into temporary shock to process the strange things I put him through."

"I'm not in shock, Tony, I'm exasperated with you."

"That's the same thing, right?"

Luna turned back to Bruce with a more sincere smile. "I know that Tony is very inconsiderate, and it really is not my intention to trouble you, so if you would feel more comfortable if I left..."

"What? No!" Tony protested. "It is way too hard to track you down to let you get away now!"

Luna gave him a look of half patience and half exasperation. "Did we not have the conversation some weeks back about the consideration you should give to your teammates?"

"I remember you agreeing to talk to me in that conversation."

Luna crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed. "Should I assume the only reason you called me down here, and invited me to stay in the first place, was to be a bother on the better sense of your companion?"

"Only a little," Tony admitted. "I told you why I wanted you to stay."

Bruce looked back and forth between them during this exchange, removing his glasses to clean them once more, as was his nervous habit, before replacing them on his face. Finally, after calming himself down a bit, he spoke. "If you don't mind me asking, um, Luna... why is it that you're with Tony now? And why did you heal Black Widow?"

Luna glanced briefly to Tony before answering. "The reason that I healed her is that I need you all. Your people need you all. You are the champions of this world and if you were to fail, who would protect it? It is my desire to assure that you all are not defeated in your quest of protection."

"Then why not join us?" Bruce questioned.

Luna looked away at the question. "That would be... unwise. For myself," She answered. "I do what I do because I wish to help, but I also wish to avoid harm to myself in the process. People who hold obvious power are often controlled by forces in higher standing than themselves. I... was controlled that way once and will not be again. I ended up with far too many regrets that way."

Bruce's face turned sympathetic at that. "I understand. I've had bad run ins before. The Avengers aren't like that though."

Luna schooled her face into a blank expression. "Perhaps not, but do you only answer to yourselves? Or does someone stand yet higher still. This is a world of multiple ruling forces, I doubt there is not one that seeks to claim control of such strength as yours."

"Alright, you got us there," Tony spoke up. "But just because we do doesn't mean we have to."

"And just because you do not wish to, that does not mean that you will not," Luna told him. Tony frowned at this. Bruce gave her a more considering look. Her expression brightened at her next words. "As for your other question, why I am here. It is both because Tony is a persistent pest that I seem unable to shake off and that he has proved interesting enough during my time trying to rid myself of him. There comes a time when one must give in or waste further effort with resistance."

Bruce chuckled at that. "That is exactly how he got me."

Luna grinned. "We should share grievances."

"I didn't get you two together so that you could gang up on me!" Tony protested.

Luna shot him a coy look. "Didn't you?" She moved to the couch, facing Bruce. "You must tell me what errors he has wrought you, Dr. Banner. I must know how I am to survive him myself."

Bruce chuckled again as Luna coaxed him into the telling of some story. Tony watched her consideringly. It wasn't so strange for her to know Bruce's name, many people knew who the Hulk was, after all. But she had the air of someone who knew more than they let on. Considering Tony already knew that she followed them, at the very least during battles, he had to wonder what else she might know about them.

He considered her speech, her confession that she was not 'mortal', and couldn't help but be that much more fascinated by her. The fastest way to Tony Stark's heart was by being a puzzle he needed to solve, after all.

* * *

Dinner was being made by the time Pepper arrived. Bruce was cooking while Tony and Luna argued reasons that the other should go help when she walked in. They were sitting on the couch, Luna curled up at one end with a wine glass and Tony at the other. They all paused when she entered, before Luna placed her glass down on the coffee table and stood, smiling at the woman. She took a step closer and held out her hand. "Hello. Are you Pepper or some other poor soul that has been duped into friendship with Tony Stark?"

"Both," Pepper replied with a dubious smile. "Who would you be?"

"Call me Luna. I've been paid to seduce you for the evening."

Pepper sputtered as she pulled her hand away. "W-what?" Her wide eyes went to Tony.

"She's kidding!" Tony insisted.

"Am I?" Luna replied with a wicked grin.

"Tony!" Pepper's tone was scolding.

"I thought you said you were going to use more discretion?" Bruce commented lightly as he wandered out from the kitchen.

"You are correct. What was I thinking?" Luna berated herself jokingly. There was pure satisfaction in her mischievous smile.

"I swear, she's kidding, Pepper!" Tony pleaded.

"I was promised the opportunity to seduce her!" Luna objected. "You did say you had no problem with voyeurism."

"She did introduce herself to me as being the house concubine. Why would she think that, Tony?' Bruce questioned with a small smile.

Pepper was glaring at him with an offended look of consternation and disapproval.

"You are both the worst," Tony frowned at them. "Bruce! We're suppose to be friends! Science bros before science hoes!"

"Now I'm just offended," Luna remarked, giving Tony a flat look. "You assume I'd whore myself for science, but what if my passion lies in art! You never even asked me," She huffed in an offended manner.

"Tony, what is going on?" Pepper demanded.

"Pepper, this is Luna. She's a friend and she'll be staying here the week." Tony explained in a slightly dismissive manner.

"Am I?" Luna questioned.

Are you what?" Tony asked.

"A friend."

"Obviously." Tony rolled his eyes. He went to Pepper and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, Pep, everything's fine. She hasn't learned how to fully appreciate my charms, yet."

"I'm not sure that I have, either," Pepper grumbled.

"The food's almost ready," Bruce told them.

"Oh, do you need any help?" Pepper asked.

"Sure." Bruce smiled at her and the two went into the kitchen.

Luna and Tony folded back into their ends of the couch.

"They are going to be talking about us now, aren't they?" Luna asked as she took another sip from her wine glass.

"Probably," Tony replied with a shrug.

"I was not... out of line, was I?" Luna questioned nervously.

"You were perfect," Tony answered her. "You have to keep them on their toes, otherwise they won't be in top form to wrangle me."

Luna only nodded, turning her head away to hide the blush that arose from the complement.

* * *

Doom was highly displeased. It had been over a week since he'd seen the members of his household and their absence was bordering on unacceptable.

It was one thing that Loki had not returned. He had not expected that the Trickster would so easily waltz back, but he had not removed the tracking bracelet and that satisfied Doom for now. He knew where the God of Mischief was and could retrieve him at anytime.

He did not know where Amora or Mystique were.

This had him mildly concerned. He checked into the last known locations that their trackers had broadcast from and found that an incident had occurred at Amora's location. It didn't take much to find footage of the incident, armature recordings that were enough to convince him the residence of his house needed to be returned. NOW.

It was an impressive sight, watching the goddess fight. It was equally intriguing to catch glimpses of Mystique in battle. They were clearly capable enough on their own, Doom would not dare think a god incapable, but they certainly were not safe. They were hunted, they were attacked, and they had not come back home.

Doom was going to bring them home.

He didn't know the location of Amora's apartment, but she'd been wearing her tracking bracelet for two weeks at least. It only took a few minutes to track the locations she'd spent the most time at and planned to attack accordingly. If they did not want to come home, he would simply bring them back by force.

* * *

Steve was talking to Sharon when Doom attacked.

He caught his neighbor on the way out of her apartment with a blond girl that he didn't recognize, introduced to him as Raven. The two didn't have a specific destination, so they decided to walk together, mostly aimlessly.

"I haven't seen you around much lately," Steve said. "Is everything alright?"

Sharon smiled at him, but the worry was still clear on her face. "It's sweet of you to worry." She placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I'd really rather that you didn't trouble yourself."

"We're friends, Sharon! Of course I worry. I want to help you," Steve said sincerely.

Raven gave him a considering look. "You say that you want to help, but you don't know what's wrong and you don't know what she wants."

Steve frowned at that. "I don't have to. I know that Sharon's a good person."

Sharon smiled at that. Raven only scrutinized him further. "You remind me of someone that I was once good friends with. He accepted me and we were like family, but he was always trying to change me. He always talked about what I could be, instead of what I was."

"I'm not like that," Steve insisted.

"That was what he thought, too," Raven said firmly.

Sharon placed her hand on Raven's shoulder. "Be easy on him, Raven. His heart is kind."

It was then that the commotion began. "What now?" Steve groaned, turning toward where they heard the disturbance. He could see the green cloaked figure approaching in the distance, the doombots spreading out around him. "You girls should get out of here!" Steve called. He barely had the chance to take a step before the machines were on them, having come up behind them.

Raven cried out as one of the Doombots grabbed hold of her, arms locking in place. "Let me go!" She screamed.

Sharon remained impassive as she was taken hold of, eyes on her companion. "Raven, calm down," She said soothingly.

"I can't!" Raven said. "What if he-"

"He won't," Sharon said.

"I'll get you out of there!" Steve yelled, immediately trying to attack the bots.

"Don't worry about us, Captain," Sharon told him. Her eyes and hands began to glow green before the bot around her exploded in a blast of green energy. "You should get your shield." More bots surrounded them and she blasted several to clear a path for him. "You should hurry." Sharon dropped her illusion before she ripped Raven away from the bot and yelled out, "What is the meaning of this, Doom!"

The arms of the bots extended from their bodies, all reaching to restrain a limb, zeroing in on the goddess who handily fought them off and blasted them to pieces. Two bots grabbed for her limbs at once, then they circled her quickly, tying their limbs around her and completely restraining her as another two grabbed hold of Raven. Amora shrieked in rage.

"There is no need to yell, Doom is here." The man walked calmly before them, giving them a quick once over and nodding when he saw nothing obviously out of place about either of them.

"What do you think you are doing?" Amora demanded.

"I am bringing you home," Doom told them. "You have been too long away, your trackers are broken, and you were attacked. We return to the castle."

"You're frightening Mystique!" Amora yelled furiously. "And this will not hold me long."

"There is no reason for your ire. I am taking you home. It is pointless to fight," Doom said. "And she is right to be frightened. This place of yours is completely unfortified. You think anything that wishes you harm will be stopped so easily?"

Amora glared at him as she finally broke away from metal arms constricting her. She stomped forward and grabbed hold of Doom's cloak. "You think you can provide better protection than I, mortal? You dare to believe yourself better than a god?"

"Strength alone will not afford you protection if you are caught unawares," Doom replied as a the metal fist of a bot came down upon her head. She spun about and tore threw it with her magic.

"You fool of a man!" Amora cried, grabbing him and lifting him off his feet, then slamming him to the ground. "You think that you know better than a god? That you have the power to subdue me? The right?"

"You think it better to forsake the security of my castle?" Doom demanded. "To abandon Doom?"

"Abandon?" Amora lifted him up and slammed him to the ground, again. "You are a fool! No one has abandoned you!"

"Then why have you not returned?"

"Does it escape you that we have other concerns!" Amora yelled.

"Do you believe Doom incapable of aid? Doom in not useless!"

Amora's reply was interrupted by the clap of thunder that sounded behind her. She hadn't noticed that the sky had darkened. Her entire body went rigged and she rose stiffly. She refused to turn as Thor's voice rang out around her.

"Causing trouble again, Enchantress?"

Amora kept her eyes before her, only now taking notice of her surroundings again. She spotted the other Avengers fighting the still raging machines. Steve, out of uniform, had retrieved his weapon, Hawkeye was unleashing his arrows. Looking over, she noticed that Raven was wrapped up in the limbs of another bot, her mouth covered so that her objections could not be heard. She reached out toward Raven and Thor screamed.

"Stay your hand, Enchantress! I shall not hesitate to cut you down."

Amora paused but a moment, then she heard the sound of a struggle as the Asgardian became under attack by the remaining doombots. Doom was watching the God of Thunder closely. Amora ripped Raven free of the bot and said to them, "We shall return to the castle and then we shall talk."

Raven looked at Doom warily, but Amora stroked her hair. "He will not take any liberties with you," Amora promised. "Nothing more than he has before done."

Turning, she levitated into the air, attacking and destroying every Doombot in sight. There were fewer than he usually brought, emphasizing the point in Amora's mind that the madman wanted only to bring them home.

Once they were all sufficiently destroyed, Amora lowered herself to the ground, took hold of her mortal comrades, and teleported them back to the castle.


	14. Boss Fight

It was a tense atmosphere when Amora, Raven, and Doom arrived in the castle. The goddess had her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the mortal man and Raven moved closer to her side. Doom looked between them and addressed Raven first.

"What is this?" Doom questioned. "You recoil from me now?"

"You've tried to restrain and capture me the last two times I've seen you!" Raven yelled.

"That was for your own good!" He replied. "Had you come with me the first time I came for you, you would not have been attacked and injured."

"I'm not injured," Raven said, her voice losing a bit of it's ire.

Doom reached out to touch her and she flinched away from him. He held his position as he looked at her. "I believe that you are."

"If you wanted our return so badly, why did you not just send Loki?" Amora asked.

Doom looked away. "The trickster became upset. He has not returned either."

Amora sighed, the tension melting out of her body as she stepped closer to him. "Oh, Doom," She purred, reaching out to wrap her arms about him. "Were you lonely? Did you desire our company?"

"Unhand me!" Doom commanded, pushing her away. "Do you mock me?"

"Did you speak to Loki as you spoke to me?" Amora asked him. "Did you offend him as you have offended me?"

"I said that I would destroy his brother for him."

Amora shook her head. "You could not. And even could you, you should not. Loki loves no one more greatly than Thor. He would not forgive you such an act, nor want it." She paused a moment, considering something before speaking again. "I did not think that you would... why do we concern you at all? We are naught but distractions to your goals."

"You belong to me," He told her calmly. "You belong in this house, in my care, and I refuse to let anything or anyone prevent it. I will not yield to your godhood," He turned to look at Raven and added, "I will not yield to your fear. You are a member of my house and that means that what happens to you is my say."

Amora reached out to Doom and pulled off his mask, taking his face in her hands and staring into his eyes. "You mortals are fools," She told him gently. "So much time spent speaking circles around the truth. Do you think I am unaware how you feel for us? Goddess as I am, you think I do not know? Speak plainly, mortal, if you care for what happens to us, do not posture so when you admit it."

"I have spoken plainly!" He insisted.

"You speak of possession."

"Because you are mine."

Amora raked her nails down his cheeks, drawing blood. "You are before a god. If you dare to lay a claim upon me, do so in the manner that you mean it! And then speak of your vows to the rest of your house as you mean them."

"I would protect you wretched beings," Doom spat. "No one else shall have you!"

Amora smiled, lifting his chin and kissing him soundly. "I could grow to enjoy such passion and devotion from you, Victor," She purred.

The mortal tore himself from her grasp. "Again, you mock me?"

"No," She told him. She stood up straight and stepped away from him. "To be honest, I did not believe you cared whether I was in your home or not."

"Contrary woman, it is you that cared nothing for us," Doom said. He turned to face Raven, who met his eyes, now that they were visible. "I care not for your fear," He told her. "You know what I desire of you, but I would have you at the mercy of no other but myself."

"And you think I want to be at the mercy of anyone?" Raven responded.

"I think you choose the place that has seen you safe for these months over elsewhere," He spoke confidently. "And I believe you will give your body over to me soon enough. When Loki brought you here, he requested that you not be ripped open for my study. But you were not of much concern or care to him at the time, and I was aware that I could choose to study you anyway with minimal consequence. I considered it often for a time, but I chose not to and you proved yourself of interest without my having to. It is not my intent to take you apart just now."

"But you will?"

"If my desire needs to be so curbed I could merely find another of your kind."

Raven frowned at that. "You are not a comfort, just now," She told him.

"Is my home not a comfort?" He asked her. "Do you not find peace amond these stone walls?" Raven looked away from him. "You will stay," He told her. "You are in my charge, the both of you. There is nothing else for it."

With that said, he turned and left the room.

Amora's hand reached out to stroke Raven's hair. "You mortals," she sighed. "I did wonder what Loki thought so enthralling of you creatures. I did not think Victor able of turning away from his work to so worry over us."

"Worry?" Raven repeated.

"He has laid a claim upon you," Amora said. "Upon us all. As audacious as such a thing is, a mortal trying to claim a god, it means that he is willing to go to task for us. And you pretend, but you feel better that it is a man like Doom after you. He is open about his motives."

Raven was silent.

"If he has a chance, he will destroy your enemies without mercy. So would Loki, if you asked it, but with Doom you will not have to ask."

"And you?" Raven questioned.

"I will defend you," Amora answered. "And I will, of course, answer you if you pray for me."

Raven was silent again.

"Think on it. If you desire leave, you need only ask Loki, yes?"

* * *

Steve was slightly shell shocked after the battle, not certain what to make of what had happened. He was completely thrown off and the looks that Natasha kept giving him out the corner of her eye only aggravated him more.

Sharon had been his neighbor for months now. They'd been friends, often going on runs in the morning and talking to one another whenever they met in the halls. To think that she was someone else this whole time. An Asgardian, even! A few things fell into place at the revelation. She had always been able to keep up with him rather well when they ran, and now that he knew to look for it, he could recognize the times she'd held back. Even her speech was a little off.

He tried to avoid the red haired spy when she attempted to catch his attention. He was not in the mood to hear her say "I told you so", especially when he still didn't think she was right. Sharon may have been Amora, but she hadn't been out to hurt him. She'd even protected him during the attack.

He had to spend a few long hours telling Shield that he refused to leave his apartment and that he didn't think that he was in any danger, and that he still refused to let them bug his apartment. Natasha looked at him like he was an idiot, but he was firm with his decision.

"Is your privacy more important than your safety?" She questioned.

"I don't think that's the choice I'm making," He told her. "She might have a different name, but that doesn't make her an enemy. She hasn't done anything to cause any of us harm! She even fought against Doom twice!"

"And escaped with him twice!" Natasha retorted.

"They were clearly fighting," Steve argued. "Maybe she took him away so that he couldn't do anymore damage."

"Why are you still defending her?" She demanded.

"Because she hasn't done anything wrong," Steve replied with a stern look.

Natasha frowned and glared at him. "Thor seems to think she will."

"Thor also hasn't seen or heard from her for decades. He even said that he doesn't know what she's doing! She hasn't done anything to hurt anyone on Earth."

"That we know of," Natasha insisted. "Look Steve," She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I just don't want you to get hurt. She's dangerous and she's proven herself a liar."

"Maybe because she didn't want people like you and Shield trying to turn her into a villain when she hasn't done anything wrong. I'm not going to turn on her just for keeping a secret." Steve gave Natasha a pointed look. "No one tells everything about themselves. And I know less about you than I do about her and I've known you much longer. Do you think I'm an idiot for calling you a friend, too?"

Natasha met his eyes as she answered. "Yes."

Steve shook his head sadly. "It's a good thing then that I don't think like you." With that Steve took his leave of the assassin's company. He should tell Tony and Bruce what had happened. Tony didn't always answer calls from Shield if they weren't emergencies.

* * *

It was too early in the morning to be answering phone calls. Or, too early in the afternoon, as was most likely the case, but Tony was just waking up either way, so the point was that he did not want to be answering the phone. He let out a loud groan to the room at large. "Who is it, Jarvis?"

"Steve Rogers, Sir." Came Jarvis' reply.

Tony groaned again. Steve didn't call him for social reasons. "Where is Pepper? Or Bruce? Or, hell, tell Luna to answer!"

"Ms. Potts left for work hours ago, Sir, and Dr. Banner has gone to set up for his presentation at the conference." Jarvis answered primly.

"And Luna?" Tony asked.

"Your guest in the room she was provided, Sir, but I do not believe it a wise idea to transfer the call to her room."

"Fine. Put him through."

"Tony?" Steve's voice filtered through the room's speakers.

Tony buried himself further in the covers before he answered. "Steve." His voice was raspy. He needed water. Or to go back to sleep. "What's up?"

"We had an incident yesterday and I thought I should tell you about it," Steve told him. "Actually, we've had two since you've been gone."

"Lay it on me."

"Well, Doom attacked again."

Tony sat up a little. "How come no one called me?"

"Well, it didn't last too long." Steve's voice was full of hesitant. He obviously didn't want to talk about whatever it was that happened. "Before that there was an incident with mutants, but it was over before we arrived."

"What happened?" Tony questioned.

"Another Asgardian is here," Steve explained. "Her name is Amora, but she also goes by Enchantress. We don't know what was going on with the mutants, but she was against Magneto, Sabertooth, and another unknown mutant that could control the whether. They seemed to be after Mystique and it looked like Amora was protecting her."

"Okay..."

"During Doom's attack... we found out that she was Sharon."

"Hold on!" Tony called out, sitting all the way up. "Sharon? As in your next door girl, Sharon? She's an alien god?"

"Yeah." Steve's voice went quite for minute before he went on. "She fought Doom, but then she disappeared with him like last time."

"Last time?"

"Oh. The twins that destroyed Doom's bots before, that was Amora."

"Huh. Your girl's kinda hot, Cap."

"Tony, she's not-"

"Come on!" Tony objected loudly. "She's hot as Sharon and she's a hot Asgardian god! Are you really gonna let that get away?"

"Is that all you think about, Tony?" Steve asked and Tony could hear the pout in his voice. Steve really didn't like it when Tony refused to take things seriously. Which was unfortunate for Steve, because Tony made an art out of not taking things seriously most of the time.

"Not the only thing," Tony insisted as he finally decided to get out of bed. "It's just one of the more frequent things."

"Just... be careful, Tony. We don't know what was happening with those mutants, or Doom, or-"

"Or anyone!" Tony concluded. "I got it. Thanks for the update."

"No problem." Steve hung up.

"Jarvis, update Project Twins. Rename file, Amora."

"As you wish, Sir."

That done, Tony went to take a shower and maybe start his day.

* * *

It took a bit of convincing to get Luna to accompany him to the conference. She was skeptical about imposing, but he got his way in the end. She looked hesitant as he lead her to one of his cars and he grinned at her as he opened the door for her. "What's wrong? Never ridden in a car before?"

"Not really..." Luna said truthfully.

Tony stared at her a moment. "Huh. Well, this will be fun."

To Tony's disappointment, after an initial shock from Tony taking off and speeding as fast as possible, Luna did not freak out as much as he was hoping. Tony pouted, but she wasn't paying any attention to him. "So, hey, I've been wondering about something," Tony said. "Where is it that you got those new clothes?"

Luna ignored this by asking him a different question. "What is this conference suppose to be about?"

"A bunch of scientific discoveries that people hope will be awesome and ground breaking that they want to brag about to other science nerds, but which will mostly likely turn out to be nothing."

"And you think I should be here because..."

"If I get bored, I'll have two different people to mess with." Tony shrugged. "It's hosted by my company so that people can tell us why we should fund their very stupid projects and how they aren't totally going to fail any expectations we have."

"Fascinating."

"Hey! Don't use that tone with me young lady! Science is important!" Tony scolded.

"If it's so important then why are your people so very bad at it?" Luna drawled, staring out the window with a bored expression. "You haven't even discovered how to reliably change the molecular structure of objects at will."

"And you have?"

Luna shrugged, still not turning to look at him.

"I knew there was a reason that I brought you with me. We are so talking science after this! No debate!" Tony insisted. "I'm doing body scans, checking you for radioactivity, and you're going to tell me how you did that healing thing."

"Presumptuous, aren't you?" Luna asked.

"Yes."

Luna couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her at that.

* * *

Tony lead her inside the building that the conference was being held in, moving back stage where Bruce and Pepper were talking. Pepper turned to them both as soon as they entered, giving Tony a stern glare. "You're late, Tony!"

Tony held up his hands in supplication as he approached. "I thought I sent Bruce to help you so that I didn't have to be on time?"

"This is still your company and we can't start without you," Pepper told him.

"Bruce can tell if their ideas make sense. And you're the CEO, you could just pick them at random if you wanted."

Bruce shook his head at him and Pepper's glare intensified. She halfway turned and gestured to a few people across the room. "These two are going first," Pepper explained. "This is Jane Foster."

"Hey, Thor's girl, right?" Tony asked as he reached to shake her hand.

Jane responded with a nervous smile. "Mr. Stark, it is an honor to meet you."

"Right back at you," Tony replied. "So tell me, how does it feel to have your theories proven right by aliens?"

Jane's smile widened a little. "Astounding and gratifying all at once," She told him.

"So, you're here to get funding for your Einstein-Rosen Bridge?" He asked her. "You'd think more people would step up for that after having literal gods fall out the sky at them."

Jane's look became more fierce as she answered. "Yes, well, some people only respect gender over actual theory."

Tony hummed and nodded before turning to Pepper. "I approve."

"What?" Jane looked startled.

Tony was still facing Pepper. "Give her the funding. We already know her theory's right, no need to make her fight any harder than she always has. But!" Tony turned to face Jane again. "I want to be one of the first humans on Asgard, so don't go selling tickets without telling me."

Jane smiled this time without a hint of nervousness. "Don't take offense to this, Mr. Stark, but you're just like people describe you."

"Awesome? Of course I am," He answered her. "And call me Tony. So, does the big lug know you're here?"

"We don't talk about my work too often," Jane admitted. "He's not much for... science theories."

"Figures," Tony shrugged.

Pepper got his attention again and gestured to the man at her other side. "This is Aldrich Killian. He's here to talk about his Extremis project."

"Hey, Tony. Nice to meet you again," Killian greeted.

"Sounds familiar," Tony replied as he shook his hand. "Well, let's get started, shall we?"

Luna was standing in the doorway, staring at Jane when Tony went to walk out of the room. He slowed, looking between her and Dr. Foster before asking, "Something wrong?"

Luna looked to him with a startled expression. "No, just..." Her gaze wandered to the female scientist once more, her lips turned down in a frown. "Nothing."

Bruce followed as the two walked out of the room. "You should really take this sort of thing more seriously, Tony."

Tony only shrugged in response. "Hey, I showed up didn't I?"

They were made to sit in the front row, Pepper joining them after a few minutes. Dr. Foster and Killian were set to explain their theories first. After a break, the next batch would begin, rinse repeat until it was all done. It was an open panel, encouraging others from the scientific community to sit in and offer their own thoughts or criticism on the presented theories, and quite a few Stark Industries employees from R&amp;D were present. All of those presenting were also front row, but split between the ends of the aisle to make the transition onto and off of the stage easier.

Killian was up first, explaining about the properties of Extremis, uses in medical advancement, upgrading the human body. It was interesting enough, then he went on a completely different tangent.

"It was during the experimental phase of this project that it was brought to my attention that Extremis was very close to doing something that the human body had already tried to achieve on it's own. Evolution happens all the time. Sometimes in only minor ways, but sometimes in more major forms." Killian pressed a button and the projector screen behind him showed a different biological image than the one previously offered for demonstrating Extremis. "There's a natural process of evolution that has been so far ignored in main stream study; mutation."

A slight shudder went through the air of the room and the metal armrest of the chairs bent around their arms. Gasp went around the room as people startled and struggled.

"You see, mutants are the natural step up in human evolution, but not everyone is so lucky as to be born with the X-gene." Killian went on. He gestured behind them and several people walked out onto the stage. A man and a woman with a red glow beneath their skin went to stand on either side of Killian. On the other side of the stage, holding a weapon that heavily resembled a dart gun, stood Magneto and beside him Storm.

"Working together, I've been able to upgrade my Extremis formula to play off of the x-gene, not only aiding in the healing process and giving the strength offered by Extremis, but unlocking the potential awaiting each individual.

"Unfortunately, the second version of Extremis is more unstable. It reacts to every person differently, as you may imagine, and we need a rather large test group to be able to hammer out some of the more... dangerous effects. Since we haven't been able to acquire the mutant volunteers needed to alter that side of the formula, we thought that it would be a better idea to try a large sample group and study what effects we can change on that end."

Killian strode confidently to the end of the stage, hopping down to stand before Tony. "So, do we have any volunteers?"

"You're going too far Killian," Tony glowered at him sternly.

"Or I'm not going far enough," The man replied. "See, I tried once before to get your help and that didn't work out so well. So now, I've decided that a more extreme method is in order to make progress." He walked a few steps over to stand next to Pepper, taking out a syringe. "This is the original Extremis formula. A little more stable than the mutant version, higher rate of survival." He crouched down before Pepper. "Because it would be a shame for the lady to be held back by you and her own human limitations, wouldn't you say?"

"I swear to God, Killian." Tony began, but Killian didn't pay him any attention, sticking Pepper with the syringe and injecting her with Extremis. "No!" He called out, trying to escape, but the metal was holding him down too well.

"Don't worry, you'll get your turn," Killian told him. "Mutant version, of course, can't make it too easy for you." He smiled. "Plus, I'm rather looking forward to watching you explode." He hopped back up onto the stage.

"Bruce, you gotta get us out of here!" Tony growled.

Bruce had his eyes squeezed shut, hands balled into fist as he tried to take deep breaths. He spoke through clenched teeth. "I can't, Tony. There's too many people here and they can't get away on their own. If I let the other out now, it'll be a slaughter."

Pepper was beginning to pant heavily and she turned to look at Tony with frightened eyes. "Tony," She whimpered.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll find a way to get you out of this," Tony said to her. "I'll fix this, I swear, just don't panic." Tony felt himself on the edge of panic, though, struggling to come up with a solution.

"Tony," Luna spoke quietly from beside him. "Where is your suit? Could you get to it?"

"It can get to me," He replied. "But I can't put it on like this."

Luna nodded. "I ask that you be discreet for as long as possible," Luna told him. She met his eyes with a stern look, but before he could question her, she pulled her arms free of the restrictive metal holding her. She looked around for a moment. Killian and the mutants were discussing something on the stage and not paying attention to them. She reached over and ripped the metal free from Tony's arms. "Discreet," she whispered again. He nodded, calling his suit to him and crawling toward the side of the stage where they would be less likely to see him. Luna went to Pepper next, but before she could do anything, the metal chairs leapt toward her, completely wrapping her.

"What do we have here?" Magneto questioned as he walked toward her. He lifted her up by the metal surrounding her as he examined her. "Another would be hero?"

Luna let out a breathless laugh as she struggled against the metal wrapped around her. "No one ever calls me that."

"How did you get free?" He wondered. "Well, no matter, you won't be doing so again. Storm?"

The white haired mutant levitated off the ground, eyes glowing white as she sent a shock of lightning through the metal wrapped woman. Luna screamed as the pain ripped through her. It continued for a full minute at least before it stopped and Magneto released her to the ground.

A roar went through the room at that as Bruce began to rapidly grow in size, skin turning green. The room erupted into screams at the sight of the Hulk. Magneto turned to face him, unwrapping the metal around Luna and trying to restrain the beast, but the Hulk tore through it as he rushed the stage. Magneto and Storm rose into the air above him, but he barreled forward, heading straight for the Extremis soldiers.

Killian hissed out a breath of fire into the Hulk's face, making him flinch away for a moment before he let out another roar and grabbed hold of the man, flinging him around. The other Extremis soldiers attacked the Hulk from both sides until Killian was released and Hulk began flinching away from the intense heat.

Iron Man flew into the air then, releasing a powerful repulsor blast at Magneto and Storm, knocking them both away before dropping down beside Luna. The robotic voice of Iron Man was swearing as he reached for her, face plate flipping up to reveal his worried eyes locked onto her.

"By the nine..." She groaned as she tried to shake off her disorientation and Iron Man helped her sit up.

"Oh, god, are you alright?" He asked her, panic alight in his eyes.

Luna let out a weak laugh at that. "No need to worship me, now," She murmured. Luna had barely pulled herself up before Iron Man was forcible flung away from her and to the ground, another bolt of lightning tearing through her body, causing her to let out a gasp of pain.

"You are rather durable, aren't you?" Storm questioned, hovering near her.

"You'd be surprised," Luna answered before teleporting away. Storm startled at this, looking around for the other woman.

Magneto didn't show any surprise. He flew over to Iron Man, landing and leaning down over him. "Some people would think it immensely foolish to fight a man that controls metal in an iron suit."

"It's not actually made of iron. It's really a titanium gold alloy-" Tony's voice was cut off as the face plate of his Iron Man suit was abruptly brought down. Magneto stood, completely uninterested in his words.

"I could crush your entire body, turn this suit into your coffin." Magneto began increasing the pressure on the suit the slightest bit, just to make a point. "But that would be a waste, wouldn't it? An intelligent man like Tony Stark, prominent in the business world and celebrity at large suddenly coming out as mutant. Very helpful, I'd say."

"Whatever you try to inject me with, I'll find a way to undo it!" Tony spat.

"Perhaps," Magneto answered. "But why would you want to? You could be something great, greater than humanity itself. Mutants are evolution at work, the next step. We are the future. The mutant Extremis serum will activate your X-gene, you'll be what you were meant to be, the highest level of your potential."

"I'm already at the highest level of my potential. I'm a billionaire, genius, philanthropist, playboy, it doesn't get any better than me." Tony answered, slightly beginning to freak out that he couldn't get the suit to move.

Magneto moved Iron Man closer, speaking lowly. "That's where you would be wrong."

Luna surveyed the room from her new position, partially hidden backstage. Killian and the Extremis soldiers were keeping the Hulk occupied for now, but she had no idea how long that would last. Storm had devoted her attention to contributing to attacking the beast, keeping high enough in the air that she was unreachable, allowing the Extremis soldiers to attack from all sides. So far, nothing the Hulk had done to them had kept them down long, in part due to the high temperatures of their body. He yelled out in rage after touching one of them, bothered and further enraged by the heat, which served well to keep his attention.

She wasn't certain what outcome to hope for where the Hulk was concerned. If the Extremis soldiers actually managed to beat him or wear him out, they would be even more outnumbered, and she was already in this fight along until she could take out Magneto, which she couldn't do with Storm so heavily covering him. On the other hand, if the Hulk beat all the Extremis soldiers and was still the rampaging, then the captive crowd would be in trouble.

Her best bet was to deal with Magneto and keep him occupied and then try to deal with the Hulk herself. Being outnumbered was bad, but they were still humans, she could deal with them even with a few enhancements. The green beast was too dangerous to not only herself, but the room at large.

She thought of the Tesseract, waiting in her possession to be used and called upon. It was a dangerous move. If she brought it out and called upon it's power, it would be a beacon. Anyone looking for her, or the cosmic cube itself, would know where to go, and handling a volatile situation with a volatile object was not the best of plans. Still, she had to be prepared to call upon it in an emergency. She didn't want any of the humans under her protection to suffer her failure.

Deciding to let the situation with the Hulk play itself out a little longer, she focused on Magneto and Iron Man. She needed to act now. There was no time to get lost in strategy.

"You are under the same misconception of humanity at large," Magneto said to Tony. The billionaire was highly worried as he was trapped in the metal armor, suspended in the air by the mutant's will. Slowly, his helmet released from the suit and rose into the air. All he could do was glare at Magneto. "You think that because you are something, there can be nothing better. You think because you are the most numerous species, that you should be in control. That will change. It will be hard for you to get rid of us, to hate us, once you are one of us." Magneto had one hand raised to hold Iron Man in place. He lifted his other hand to raised the gun loaded with the mutant Extemis serum, pointing it at his neck. "Welcome to the fold."

A blast of green energy slammed into Magneto, then the gun, knocking them both to the ground. Iron Man was abruptly released, falling to ground as Luna emerged from her hiding place. She approached him as she sent another blast of energy at both mutants, lifting the helmet from the ground and handing it to him. "Keep that damned woman from shooting more lightning at me or I just might kill her," Luna told him.

"Can do," He replied. He placed his helmet back on and launched into the air, slamming into Storm and tackling her to the wall.

"You challenge me?" Storm spoke fiercely as wind began to swirl around her and her eyes glowed white. She summoned lightning to her body and attacked the man full force, shock showing on her face when noting happened.

"Sorry, sweetheart, that trick doesn't work on me." Grabbing her by her shoulders, he pulled her off the wall and tossed her hard to the ground. Storm was dazed a moment, before rising back into the air, a tornado forming around her and slamming Iron Man into the wall.

"We shall see what does not work on you," Storm decreed.

Magneto was just picking himself off the ground when Loki grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Let's not play around, mortal," Luna declared, punching him in the face. She did so twice more before being slammed into with a metal chair and pinned with the wall. She struggled for only a moment before tearing the metal off of her, only to be hit by an intense blast of fire from the side.

Magneto looked to Killian, before checking across the room where the Hulk was thoroughly thrashing one of his soldiers. Magneto raised an eyebrow at the man. "There are always more soldiers," Killian told him.

"Enough of this!" Luna yelled in rage. She teleported behind Magneto and slammed an energy blast into his sternum, followed by her fist and foot, propelling him to the ground. Then she quickly rounded on Killian, taking out the casket from her pocket dimension and encasing him a quick layer of ice. She dismissed the object before her true form could be revealed, moving to the fallen Magneto. She lifted him up, slamming him into the ground head first a few times, then she tossed his limp body into Storm, just in time for them both to meet Iron Man's repulsors.

The mutants stayed down this time, but only one of them was still conscious. To be on the safe side, Luna tossed one last energy blast at Storm. The woman let out a final groan as she passed out.

Only the Hulk was left, calling attention to himself with a roar of triumph as he stood over his defeated enemies. Luna and Iron Man both watched a moment to see what he would do as he looked around for more enemies. When he moved to approached them, Luna prepared to attack, but Iron Man flew down in front of her.

"Wait, wait," Tony said, slowly approaching the Hulk. "Hey there, big guy. Everything fine now, no need to smash anything else." The Hulk didn't calm down, though. He charged at Iron Man and Loki was quick to take out the Tesseract, blasting the Hulk with the energy of the cosmic cube and tossing him across the room. Iron Man spun around to stare at her, but Luna kept her eyes in the Hulk, waiting to see if the beast would rise. After a moment, he began to shrink down to the size of Bruce and Luna put away the Tesseract.

"Where did you-" Tony began, but stopped abruptly with a string of swearing. "The Extremis soldier are gonna blow. We gotta get them out of here!"

"I'll take care of it," Luna said, moving toward them. "Just like Killian," She explained before taking out the casket and covering them in a layer of ice. At the very least it would lower their temperature from being so dangerously high. While she was focused on that, Killian began to heat up from within his own ice cage. Luna only noticed when she heard the abrupt sound of ice cracking. "Tony!" She called out in warning, but the man was already out and attacking Iron Man.

Luna tried to stay focused on encasing the two soldiers better than she had Killian, hoping that the man could take care of himself for a while. The blue had spread along her skin, slowly transforming her body into that of his true form. Loki tried to suppress the loathing he felt and focused on the task at hand. Once he was certain that they would not be able to break away, he put away the casket and turned to search for Iron Man and Killian.

The glowing man had taken hold of Iron Man's suit and Loki could hear the sounds of pain coming from within the suit. Loki barely contemplated his decision as he took out the Teseract once more and blasted energy into Killian. The man gasped, screamed, as he let go of Iron Man, then he began clawing at his skin. "Wh-what is this?" He yelled. The red in his veins began to mix with blue, the energy of the cosmic cube rushing through him.

"Shit," Loki swore, rushing over to Iron Man. He dragged the man away, then pulled Bruce away, as well. Killian was going to explode. He could open a portal with the Tesseract, but he couldn't be sure of where it would open. The outcome of that could be much worse. Pulling the mortals off the stage entirely, Loki raised a barrier to protect the rest of the room from the explosion he knew was coming, hoping that he was strong enough to hold the energy at bay.

Killian screamed as his body imploded upon itself, the energy hitting Loki's barrier, which held strong against the initial waves of power, but broke free a moment later, tossing everyone in the room back, but not doing further damage.

The room was a chaotic mess of trapped and panicked civilians, crying and begging to be saved as they watched from the prison of their chairs, but otherwise unharmed. Bruce was still out cold. Loki quickly scanned the room to find Tony. The man was prying Pepper out of her chair, holding her in his arms as she made sounds of pain and distress as Extremis wreaked havoc on her body. Loki let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, what the hell was that!" Tony yelled, staring at Loki with wide eyes. The stare made Loki uncomfortable as he realized he was still in his true form.

Loki didn't get the chance to say anything. Before the transformation back to his Asgardian form could take hold, a hand grabbed hold of him and he felt a spell rapidly fall over him, trapping him in his current form. "I've found you, little prince."

Loki felt his stomach drop as the worst feeling of absolute dread came over him. He turned sharply, staring at the form that had a near breaking grip on his arm. The man was dressed in an impressive looking Midgardian suit, long hair pulled neatly behind him, and red eyes staring intently at Loki. Loki nearly choked as he let out a fearful whisper. "Svadilfari."

He smiled with a false pleasantry that made Loki sick as he pulled the jotunn closer. "So glad that you remember me. I've come to take you home." Loki twisted away from the man and out of his hold only to be kneed hard in the stomach. "Do not dare run from me." Loki fell to the ground, doubled over in pain. He summoned a blade of ice and swung at the man, who backed away from the blow, then Loki took his chance to escape, teleporting away. "Now I shall have to find you all over again." With barely a curious glance to the mortals around him, the man disappeared.

Iron Man was left looking around the room in confusion. He didn't know what had just happened, except that he had just gained a million more problems. Holding Pepper closer to him, he put in the call to Shield. They couldn't be here quickly, but this was one time he thought it best to contact them. Pepper was infected with Extremis, Magneto tried to transform the room into mutants, another unknown had appeared, and he wasn't certain, but he thought that he might have just been saved by Loki.

This was way too much to deal with at one time.


	15. Svadilfari

This was one of the few times that Tony actually thought to do the responsible thing. He had only spent a few moments staring at where Loki... Luna... had been before deciding to call Shield. He had unconscious villains to deal with, frozen villains, a room full of hostages, and Extremis. He could probably be forgiven for freaking out a bit, but this was definitely over the bar of things Tony Stark could comfortably deal with at once.

Tony felt somewhat suspicious when he was told Coulson would be arriving within ten minutes. Did the agent have something he actually had to do nearby or had he just been waiting around to spy on them?

Bruce and Pepper were both out cold, leaving him without either of his better halves to tell him he ought to do otherwise, so Tony made a few decisions quickly. There was no way in hell he was going to tell Shield about Pepper being hit with Extremis. After what Clint had told them about how Shield handled the Loki mind control incident, he was not about to trust them with Pepper. He'd find a way to handle it on his own. He'd come close to being able to solve it before, anyway.

He also decided he wasn't going to mention Loki. Well, he wasn't going to mention that Loki was Luna. Bruce wouldn't remember, he never had very many clear memories as the Hulk, and Pepper had been too out of it. He couldn't say for sure why he decided on this, maybe because he just needed time to deal with the revelation in the first place. He and Luna had had... chemistry. He'd, perhaps a little hastily, trusted her. Also, he'd been assured that Luna was a her! And this... was a little much. Granted, he and Loki had flirted during the invasion. Rather overtly, in fact, but that didn't mean... Tony didn't know what any of it meant!

A few things had fallen into place, though. It made a little more sense that Luna had been following Thor. He didn't understand what he'd wanted, but it made more sense. He also thought that Loki had been surprisingly honest with him, at least in the ways that could be confirmed. Loki wasn't human and wasn't willing to tell Tony the truth, but he'd told him that much and that meant something. Even if Tony didn't know what.

Coulson showed up right on time, with several Shield agents following. Tony decided to let Shield take care of releasing the hostages and taking custody of the villains, and aside from slipping a sample of the mutated Extremis formula from Magneto's gun into a hidden compartment in the suit, he let them take what there was to take. He really needed to get Pepper out of there before Shield found out about her.

Bruce awoke in time that Tony didn't have to carry him out and Coulson allowed them to leave without debriefing first. And Tony got out of there as fast as possible.

"What happened, Tony?" Bruce asked him once they were in the car.

"Everything went to hell," Tony answered. "Listen, I need your help. Shield doesn't know about Pepper."

Bruce looked confused for a moment before recognition lit his eyes. "You didn't tell them?"

"No, and I don't want you to tell them either. I don't want them to be involved," Tony insisted.

"I understand," Bruce replied. "But what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to fix it," He replied confidently.

"Of course. If you need help, though..."

"Thanks, Bruce." Tony smiled at him. Nervousness and worry ran through him and he sent continuous looks to Pepper in the backseat, using the rear view mirror to watch her when he could.

* * *

He returned to New York right away, even though he insisted that Pepper stay. He was worried about her and he very much needed to investigate what Extremis had done to her, but he also needed to keep her as far away from Shield as possible and they would be waiting for him if he stayed. He had a hard time calming her down when she first woke, which lead to her body heating up, more freaking out, before he was able to calm her down for her own good. Aside from her temperature being higher than before and Pepper being a bit nervous, everything was well enough.

He took care of a few last minute company things in her place, not wanting her to do anything that would cause her stress or be around too many people in case anything happened. He wasn't keen on seeing her accidentally hurt herself or others and he knew, even if she would rather stick close to him while she was this afraid, that she would feel safer in Malibu than she would in the Tower. It was more familiar, after all.

He was ushered into a briefing with the rest of the team as soon as he was back in New York. Bruce's account of things was cut short by the Hulk's involvement in the fight, so Tony's was the only account they had. He was not looking forward to any part of recounting this tale.

"Wait a minute," Hawkeye interrupted him before he'd even gotten three sentences into is story. "Luna? The mutant check?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed.

"How did you not notice she was sitting right next to you?"

Tony had wanted to skip over the part where Luna had been to his house and they'd gone to the conference together, but he shouldn't have bothered to even try. They were spies, after all. He sighed. "I knew she was there."

Hawkeye gave him an incredulous look. "So you were just going to ignore the fact that the mutant we've been looking for was sitting right next to you?"

"You guys have been looking for her?"

Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Did you think Shield wouldn't look for her?" He asked.

Tony shrugged. "Anyway, we were there together."

"What?" Four simultaneous voices questioned, everyone besides Bruce, who already knew, and Thor, who didn't know who they were talking about.

"I saw her and asked her to come along."

"And you didn't think to mention that to anyone, Stark?" Fury demanded.

"Bruce was there," Tony answered. If the growl that followed was any indication, that answer did not placate Fury. "Anyway, like I was saying, she let me out of the chair-"

"How?" Natasha questioned. "Don't be vague, Stark."

"She pulled the metal back."

"With her bare hands?" Steve questioned.

"Is anyone going to let me finish this story?" Tony questioned. "Anyway, the Hulk got loose, Luna and I took down the mutants, and then Loki showed up with the Tesseract."

"What?" Everyone participated in the group exclamation this time, Thor even going so far as to rise from his seat as if he were going to go and get Loki right then and there.

"Yeah..." Tony continued as casually as he could, hoping to skip over most of the actual details. Telling the story in order would gain him too much scrutiny. Best to just go over the important parts. He was pretty evasive when he needed to be. "He used it to take out the Hulk and it made Killian... um, implode." Tony shrugged. "And he used something else to trap the Extremis soldiers in ice."

"The casket," Thor said. "I did not know he had it..."

"The what?" Tony asked.

"The Casket of Ancient Winters," Thor repeated. "It is a weapon of the Jotunn. Loki had taken possession of it before the destruction of the Bifrost, but we thought it lost when he fell from the void."

"Loki did what now?" Tony questioned.

"It was before his arrival on Midgard," Thor answered evasively. "It is... of little importance now," He murmured.

Fury let out an angry growl. "Didn't you say your people could keep it safe?"

Thor frowned at Fury. "It is safer with Loki than it is with any Midgardian. Even if Loki seeks to do harm with it, that would not compare to the harm you would invite upon yourselves in your ignorance."

"Wait a minute," Bruce said. "Thor, you knew that Loki had this casket and the Tesseract the whole time?"

"I did not know the Casket of Ancient Winters was still in his possession," Thor replied sullenly.

"But you knew he had the Tesseract?" Bruce continued.

"Wait!" Tony interjected. "If the Bifrost is still broken and Loki stole the Tesseract, how did you get here? And how will you get back?"

"My father was able to send me here. It took some time to gather the energy that was required, else I would have arrived sooner," Thor told them. "And once I retrieve Loki, I will return using the Tesseract."

"What's Loki been doing this whole time?" Steve questioned. "Here's been here for months and he's had the Tesseract and this other weapon-"

"The Casket of Ancient Winters," Thor repeated.

"So why hasn't he attacked yet?" Steve questioned.

"Maybe he doesn't intend to," Tony said contemplatively. Thinking about all that Luna had said to him, it made sense. She had told him that something was coming, that she wanted them alive. Something she'd said to him particularly hit him in that moment. "I can't take out an army alone and I wouldn't be able to protect an entire realm." "Shit," Tony mumbled to himself. Why hadn't he put more thought into that sooner? Probably because he didn't believe her. The words coming from Loki, who had already brought an alien army through, made all the difference. But what was the end game here?

"Why would he be here if he wasn't going to attack?" Steve asked.

Thor sat back down heavily, frowning as he tried to contemplate the facts. "Loki must have had a reason to come here," Thor said. "Loki and Amora can move freely through the nine realms, they could have gone to any one of them and no matter what the Enchantress claims, I know that she must be here for my brother. She'd have no interest in Midgard otherwise."

"And we know that Amora is working with Doom," Natasha said.

"We don't know that!" Steve objected. "She destroyed his doombots and fought against him!"

"She also disappeared with him," Natasha pointed out. "So we have to assume that she's working with Doom and Mystique, which means that they must also be working with Loki."

"But if they were working with Doom, why haven't they attacked us?" Steve questioned.

Tony was really conflicted now. He trusted Luna, but he didn't trust Loki, which was complicated since they were one and the same. Luna watched their battles, which could line up with him working for Doom, but healing Natasha seemed counter productive to that. Unless Loki was using Luna to get their guard down, in which case everything she said to him had been a lie. And yet, he couldn't believe the things Luna had said to him in Malibu were a lie. There would be no reason to make up the things about being a monster. Really, all he had was evidence that Luna had told him the truth. Even if he thought that she had been trying to get close to him, (she did kiss him, after all,) she explicitly stated that taking him to bed would be counter productive to his goals.

All of this thinking was getting him nowhere fast. Except...

"If Loki was going to attack us, why would he attack Killian and save a room of captive people, myself included, from the Hulk?" Tony asked.

No one really had an answer to that right away.

"Could he have been after Extremis?" Bruce suggested.

"He didn't take it," Tony told him. "He didn't even try to attack me." Not even when Tony was alone at his house with him... or her, as it was at the time. Actually, Loki had had plenty of opportunities to attack him without the others around.

He really should not be facilitating this much between whether or not to trust Loki. The obvious answer was not to do it. But he really couldn't discredit everything based on that one fact. Could he? Should he?

Tony was giving himself a great big headache.

* * *

Loki was in a panic when he arrived in Victor's castle, startling Amora, Victor, and Mystique where they were gathered at the dining table. Victor and Amora immediately rose from the table, Mystique pushing away from the table, but the three were unnoticed by Loki. The god was trembling, alternately grabbing at his own skin and staring at it in horror. He was panting, almost hyperventilating, and a constant murmur of "No, no, no, no," was falling from his lips.

"Loki!" Amora's voice was alarmed as she looked at the blue skin of her fellow god. She looked torn between reaching out to him and moving away. "Wh-what is this?"

Victor had no such dilemma, having seen Loki's true form before and went quickly to the god's side. Crouching beside the god, Victor laid a hand on his shoulder, pulling back when Loki startled violently and looked at him with a wild and helpless gaze. "Loki? What has happened?" Victor demanded.

"He's here. He's here! He's here!" Loki repeated in an increasingly panicked voice. He tried to pull himself in as small a ball as possible, then seemed to rethink the idea when he looked at himself and realized that he was in his true form. "No, no, no..."

Victor took firm hold of Loki's shoulders. "Who is here?" He demanded. "Who has done this? I shall destroy them!"

Victor's words seemed to end Amora's hesitation and she approached Loki as well. "This... it must be a spell," She reasoned. "Asgard must have sent someone else to fetch him. They knew that Thor would not be enough."

"Who?" Victor demanded, turning to her.

"I do not know. Only Loki..." She frowned as she looked at his panicked state. "I have to get this spell off of him, it's... he's isn't calm enough to tell us-"

"Then do it!" Victor snapped.

"I can't!" Amora replied. "It's too strong to break all at once."

Mystique was still watching from the table, unsure what to do. She wasn't use to seeing Loki frightened by anything and it made her nervous. He was preparing Earth to fight someone so strong that Loki didn't think two gods could take on alone and he had done that calmly. She was uneasy in the face of his fear and she felt alone sitting away from them at the table.

Amora and Victor were talking too loudly to hear the new murmurs coming from him, Mystique was focused intently enough to hear the new litany. "Thor will come. Thor always comes. He'll come. He'll come..." And Mystique remembered Thor. He had shown up when Victor was breaking apart Shield. Thor was Loki's brother, but she didn't know anything about him except that Amora had feelings for him. And that Loki wanted him here and that, at least, was something that she could do.

It took only a moment to recall what the Thunder God had been like the brief moments that she'd seen him, all moments of Amora's, so she hoped that she wouldn't need to do much acting. But she remembered his walk, his presence, he was a god and while she couldn't fake that, she could act as protective of Loki as the god seemed to want. Shifting into the Thunder God's form, she stood and moved toward him. She spoke before she was directly in front of him. "Loki."

The wild and fearful eyes locked onto him immediately and Loki seemed torn between what reaction to have. His trembling increased and she could see him fight between running from and running toward her. His voice was shaky and uncertain as he spoke. "Br-brother?"

Mystique dropped down in front of Loki and opened her arms, using the booming voice of Thor as she spoke. "I am here, Loki. I am here."

It disturbed her, though she fought not to show it, when Loki's eyes well up with tears. He seemed unable to move, so she pulled him into the embrace he so needed. She imagined anyone would feel safe wrapped in the arms of such of bulky body, especially since that body was attached to a god. She wondered if that was part of the appeal to Amora. Loki clung to her, repeating the word brother over and over again. Mystique had to wonder what Loki and Thor were like for him to be so comforted in a moment of panic by the appearance of Thor, yet never seem to talk about him. The thought annoyed her as she realized how much she didn't know about any of them. She'd been so secluded and exempt from everything and maybe it was partially her own fault, but she wondered if she would be able to do more if she wasn't so in the dark.

"Hush, I am here Loki," Thor's voice soothed.

Victor watched this display a moment before turning to the Enchantress. "Whatever spell affects him, you will find a way to break!" He commanded.

Amora nodded mutely, still looking at Loki strangely.

Victor stood.

"What are you going to do?" Mystique questioned when it was clear that Amora would not. Loki didn't seem to be reacting to anything else, just clinging tightly to the image of his brother.

"I will find what has caused this and I will destroy it," He said with certainty.

Amora's words from not long ago rang through Mystique's mind. 'He will destroy your enemies without mercy.' She tried to contain the shiver that went through her. It wasn't fear, but she wouldn't call it safety either. She held Loki tighter. These people were much more dangerous than Magneto, had the ability to be much more invasive than Charles, and yet... Amora was right. Doom was right. She felt at home in this place with these people, comforting a god and watching a man go off to destroy their enemies.

Mystique made a decision that she was certain the others had already made with each other. Loki had her loyalty before, but in this moment, she realized that she did not want to remain distant and in the dark about what was happening here. She would protect and fight for them, just as she had for Magneto and for Charles at different points in her life. Unlike those times, though, she didn't fear that she was being manipulated into her choice. They had all been fairly obvious about what they were doing, what they wanted, and that she was welcome here regardless of what she did.

Hell, even Doom would probably let her live in Latveria if she decided not to fight. She was invested and she wasn't going to continue to pretend otherwise. This time when she spoke, even though it was Thor's voice and she was watching Loki, the words were for herself. "I am here."

* * *

At Thor's insistence, they all ended up back in the Tower. Thor was speaking as they all settled down. "I wanted to wait until we were all together or I would have told you all sooner."

"Told us what?" Tony questioned immediately.

"My father sent another mage to aid in locating Loki," Thor explained. He took a step to the side revealing a person standing behind him that was definitely not there before. He was well dressed in a sharp suit with long hair pulled back. He had one hand crossed over his chest as he bowed slightly at the waist, giving them a polite smile. "This is Svaldilfari."

"Pleasant to meet you all," Svaldilfari greeted. It took Tony a moment of staring before he recognized him as the one that showed up and attacked Loki. He didn't seem to recognize Tony, but he'd gone straight to Loki when he showed up so no surprise there.

Thor enthusiastically introduced each of them and Svadilfari responded with genteel politeness. The man turned to face both Tony and Bruce with a smile. "You two are the mages of Midgard, yes?"

"Scientist," Tony objected.

"Ah, that is what Midgard calls it's mages, is it?"

"No-" Tony began only for Bruce to cut him off with a disapproving look.

"You could say that," Bruce told him.

"Then the two of you would be the ones best suited to helping me track Loki," He concluded.

"If we knew how to track him, we would have done so already," Tony complained.

"You misunderstand my intention," Svadilfari told them. Even though he was talking to Bruce and Tony, he made sure to keep eye contact with the other Avengers, making them part of the conversation as well. "I was able to find Loki not long ago when he used the Tesseract. The energy was a beacon to his location and I tracked him there quickly, but he was fast to retreat. Before he got away though, I was able to preform a locking spell, trapping him from changing forms. The form he was in can be tracked by the temperature. It is extremely cold and I thought Midgardians tools would be able to track it more easily than myself. I'm certain he won't be able to stay away, if you could create such a device, I would be able to go to him as soon as he appeared."

"Why can't you just find him like you did the first time?" Hawkeye complained.

"Loki is clever, he keeps himself hidden and cloaked so that he is not easy to locate," He explained. "Energy as strong as the Tesseract cannot be hidden when it is in use, but it can be covered well enough when dormant. There are traces of magic here, recent enough that I know that Loki has been in the area, but I cannot pinpoint where. He's been careful."

"Well, I'm sure that Tony and Bruce would be willing to help," Steve said.

Tony sighed. He wanted to get back to Pepper, but it would be suspicious to skip out for no reason. "Yeah, alright," He said aloud. "It shouldn't take too long to crank out a temperature scanner."

"He will have a difficult time removing my spell, so I imagine it will be a while before he shows himself once more," Svadilfari informed them.

"Since you'll be tracking Loki, you probably need some place to stay, right?" Tony asked.

"I have not yet had time to appropriate dwelling for myself in this realm," He agreed.

"I'll let you stay in the tower. I've got enough empty rooms," Tony told him.

"Your hospitality is greatly appreciated," Svadilfari told him with a smile. He executed another partial bow at the waist. "I will defer to you gentlemen on the search for the second prince. This is your realm after all."

Bruce responded to that with a small smile of his own. "Tony and I can try to teach you the basics here."

"Greatly obliged , friend."

"Why did they chose you to come after Loki?" Natasha questioned him.

Svadilfari smiled at her as he answered. "There are very few mages that can travel the realms with their own power and I have worked with Loki before."

"Svadilfari is something of a renowned builder," Thor explained. "Asgard commissioned him to build a protective wall around it's boarders and Loki worked closely with during that time. I am short of the details of their co-operation, however."

"If I recall, the crown prince was called away to another task while I was working with the second prince," Svadilfari explained. "Prince Loki was rather well known for his magical prowess and given the usual proclivities of Asgard, I was highly curious. The All-father and I came to an accord and I was lent the second prince as an apprentice of sorts for the duration of the building."

"In the myths they mentioned that you're a horse," Natasha added.

"A misconception, I assure you." He laughed good naturedly.

"I wonder how such an idea spread," She asked idlely.

"I did quite bit of shapeshifting when I was in Asgard. That is probably how the idea spread."

"Oh?"

"Actually, I helped the second prince quite a bit with his animal transformations as well."

"The myths also mention Sleipnir," Natasha commented.

Svadilfari nodded at that. "A creation of ours. Well, mostly of Loki's. I showed him how to shape his magic into physical forms, but he surpassed my explanations greatly with his creation. I believe he gifted the horse to the All-father, yes?" Svadilfari looked to Thor for confirmation.

"You are correct," Thor nodded. "Sleipnir is father's war steed."

"The myths say that he is a child between you and Loki." Natasha was watching Svadilfari closely and the others began to catch on to her focus. Clint perched on the back of the couch she was sitting on as Steve began to stare at her with confusion and disapproval.

"Loki does not have children," Thor told them with a laugh.

"Your myths seems to be very misinformed," Svadilfari told her, meeting her gaze.

"I suppose so," She conceded easily.

"Hey, I'll show you to your room," Tony spoke up, thinking that the impromptu interrogation was likely over. The man only nodded, following Tony as he lead him away.


	16. Magical Boxes

Loki kept his eyes down as he pulled away from the large arms engulfing him, trying to hide and push down the waves of embarrassment he felt.

"Loki?" Thor's voice questioned him. The look of confusion was familiar, if a little off from Thor's normal expression.

"You may stop now, Raven," Loki said quietly. "I thank you for your help, but I am fine now."

Raven returned to her own form, watching Loki closely, though he refused to meet her gaze. She watched him for a moment before throwing herself into his arms and Loki looked down at her in surprise as he returned her embrace. "I thought Doom was going to take me apart while you were gone."

Loki's gaze hardened at that. "Why? What did he do?" He asked sternly.

Raven shook her head. "He used to Doombots to force us back here."

Loki stroked her hair gently. "You know that you can always call upon me," He told her.

"I know, but I missed having you here," Raven told him. "I was with Amora most of the time and she did protect me but, she isn't really..." She paused trying to think of the words to describe Amora.

Loki chuckled. "Fear not, I know exactly what you mean." He let out a sigh. "It seems Victor is rather good at making an ass of himself. I suppose I should ask Amora what happened while I was away. I should like to watch Victor's attempts at forcing her back into his care. If it was anything like his attempts with me, I expect it was not very well received."

Raven was quiet a moment as she traced a hand along his blue skin and Loki's entire body stiffened. "Loki," she spoke quietly. "What type of form is this?"

"Jotunn," He answered quietly. "A frost giant."

"We match, you know."

Loki tried to swallow down his instinctive reactions, not wanting to say anything that would hurt Raven. "Yes, I suppose we do."

"You've never been unkind to me, Loki. You've never looked at me the way humans have." She grabbed hold of his shirt with her other hand and it trembled as she held on as tightly as she could. "But when you were panicking, you looked at yourself that way. Why?"

"Raven-"

"And Amora and Doom both acted as if something was wrong. Amora looked like she would run away at any moment. Doom looked at you like he thought you'd tear off your own flesh if he let you!"

"Raven-"

"Why would you look at yourself that way when you never looked at me like I was anything but normal!" Raven was yelling now, but she remained buried in Loki's embrace. Her grip on him was tight, as if she thought he would run, but she didn't look up at him. "So why would you- why would you-"

"It is not the same," He told her as calmly as he could. "You are no monster to me."

"Why is it different?"

"Because Frost Giants are monsters," He said matter of factly. "They are no better than animals! They abandon the runts of their litter to die, they attack foreign entities without provocation! Everyone knows that they are monsters. All I've been told is of how monstrous they are."

"People think mutants are monsters!" Raven yelled, finally looking at him. She looked both angry and sad, eyes filled with rage and tears steaming down her cheeks. "Does that make it so!"

"It is not the same," He insisted.

"Why? Why is it not he same?"

Loki took her face into his hands. "Because you are not a monster," He told her gently.

"I am not human, either," She replied softly. "So why do you get to be a monster when I do not? I say that you are no monster. Doesn't my opinion count?"

"It isn't the same."

"You say it's not the same, but you haven't told me why?" Raven pointed out. "Parents hide their children from mutants. The government wants to take us out or study us or build machines to hunt us all down! They'd take any one of us apart given half a chance and everyone thinks that mutants are terrible things. How is it not the same?"

Loki looked away from her. "I hate this form," He told her quietly. "I hate this skin. It's nothing but a lie. Filthy lies and deception and proof of my failings. Proof that I am wrong! That I have always been wrong! Why should I feel anything but hate for this skin when no one else will?"

"I don't!"

"That is only because you do not know and you do not understand."

"I understand enough," She insisted as she met his eyes. "I understand."

"You think that you understand, but you cannot," Loki responded softly.

"Fine! Fine. I don't understand. I don't understand anything!" Raven yelled. "I don't understand why you think you're a monster but not me. I don't understand why Amora loves Thor when every time he shows up he immediately thinks the worst of her. I don't know why Doom cares about whether or not we're here, or why you help the Avengers, or even you try to help all of us! I just want to be as useful as the others."

"Oh, Raven," Loki sighed. "You are not obligated to help me nor are we obligated to help you. You are wanted here, nothing more than your presence is required."

"I want to help anyway."

"Very well," Loki told her. "Doom and Amora have gone off somewhere, haven't they?"

Raven nodded. "Amora went to try and break the spell on you and Doom went out to... to find out who... um, upset you."

Loki momentarily froze, but then shook it off. "I see... Well then, we should probably stop him from making a mess of things." Loki took a deep breath. "I realize that your last escapade involving Shield did not turn out favorably, but would you be willing to work with them once more?"

"What do you need me to do?" Raven answered immediately.

"You recall the form of Lockley?" Loki asked.

Instead of answering, Raven shifted into the form of Lockley, looking at Loki expectantly.

"It is up to us to keep Victor in line," Loki sighed. "I cannot show myself like this. I should not show myself at all, now that he... I need you to warn Shield that an attack shall be imminent, even if we won't be able to preempt it. Please tell Amora to watch over Victor so that he does not find himself in too much trouble. I will remain nearby in case I am needed, but I do not want to be too near nor do I wish to be seen."

"Okay," Raven nodded.

"This is the phone used to contact Shield. Only one number has been dialed from it, call it. Do not turn it on until you are in the city and turn it off once you've completed your call."

"Okay."

Loki let out a weary sigh. "To your task, Raven."

* * *

"Miss Lockley!" Agent Coulson's voice was slightly surprised when he answered her call. She recalled her last interaction with Shield, being kidnapped by Doom and then never heard from again. They probably thought Lockley was dead or something.

"There will be an attack today," Raven said without preamble. She was already in the form of Lockley, prepared to lessen whatever damage she could from Doom's attack, even if she didn't yet know where that attack would be. "I don't know where, but I know it will be soon."

Agent Coulson shook off his surprise quickly. "Thank you for informing us, Miss Lockley."

Raven could tell that more would have followed, but she didn't wait for it. She hung up the phone and turned it off. She had to keep her distance. Lockley didn't need to be more associated with Doom any more than she already was.

* * *

"Show yourselves, Avengers!" Doom yelled, explosions breaking out around him as his doombots attacked the city. "Doom will not be ignored!"

It was only a few minutes later when the Avengers appeared, Iron Man in the lead with weapons blazing. "Give it up, Doom!"

Doom turned to face the newly gathered heroes. "Which one of you was it!" Doom demanded.

"What are you talking about, Doom and gloom?" Iron Man asked.

"You come here to hunt a god?" Doom yelled. "Show yourself! Face me! And undo whatever spell you've wrought!"

"What is he...?" Steve began, but cut off in surprise as Svadilfari appeared before the raging man.

"You challenge me?" Svadilfari questioned, standing before Doom. He waved his arm, sending a wave of magic to destroy the nearing doombots. "Are you his champion, then? Loki's taken a mortal to fight for him?"

"I am no mere mortal!" Doom replied, unleashing a blast of electricity at the mage. Svadilfari was pushed back by he blast until he moved out of the way of the attack and charged Doom. He plowed into Doom, hands around the other man's armored throat and squeezing. The metal groaned as it began to tighten, but Doom ignored it in favor of attacking. He grabbed onto Svadilfari and unleashed another jolt of electricity. The man made a grunt of pain and tossed Doom aside.

The Avengers were busy fighting off the hoard of doombots, leaving Svadilfari and Doom to battle uninterrupted. Svadilfari smiled at the fallen mortal. "To champion Loki, he must be quite fond of you. If I were to kill you, would he shed tears? Would he come to me in vengeance? Could it be so easy to have the prince seek me out?"

"I am not so easily defeated!" Doom responded. He sent another wave of electricity at the mage, but Svadilfari dodged easily.

"You are mortal. You are all easily defeated." Svadilfari's form began to change, skin changing to match his black hair, eyes red and blazing, black hair becoming a black mane waving in the wind as the now equine form reared up on his hind legs. The horse was large and intimidating, wasting little time in racing forward and butting his head straight into Doom's middle. The blow tossed Doom into the side of a building hard before collapsing to the ground. Svadilfari reared up over Doom, hooves lined up with the man's head.

"No!" Amora yelled, teleporting herself to Doom and disappearing with him right afterwards.

Svadilfari's hooves crashed down onto the ground hard, cracking the sidewalk beneath him. Svadilfari returned to his normal form with a frown. "Lost opportunity..."

"Hey, what was that?" Iron Man questioned, flying next to him.

Svadilfari affected a confused expression as he turned to the hero. "A problem?" He asked.

"Yeah, you almost killed him!" Iron Man objected.

"He was an enemy, was he not?" Svadilfari questioned.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean kill him!" Iron Man snarled.

"Oh?" Svadilfari turned his gaze toward Thor, fighting off in the distance. "The prince never told me that Midgard was so... squeamish. Asgard has a habit of slaying it's enemies, I did not expect Prince Thor to work with beings of such conflicting ideals."

"Yeah, well, that isn't how we do things," Iron Man told him.

Svadilfari only nodded. "Your device to locate the second prince, we should use it now."

"Now?"

"That man was Loki's champion," Svadilfari explained. "It stands to reason that he would be nearby. We should find him before he disappears."

"The others-" Iron Man objected.

"They will be fine," He insisted. "Finding the prince is a top priority, is it not?"

"Fine," Iron Man agreed. The others did want him to find Loki. That wasn't why he was going to look for him, though. Tony needed to find Loki for his own reasons. He needed to question him, talk to him, ask him why... Tony took out his device. He spoke into the comms. "I'm going after Loki," He told them.

"Wha- Iron Man!" Steve said, but Tony cut off the comm's and took off before he could continue. Svadilfari followed him through a series of teleportation. He followed the readings to an apartment building, to an apartment, bursting into the room the signal was coming from.

Loki looked to the door in startlement and Tony paused as he stared at the blue skin and red eyes. "Stark."

"Loki," Tony began, not sure what he was going to say, but he lost the opportunity regardless when Svadilfari appeared.

"I found you." Svadilfari's eyes lit up at the sight of Loki, and Loki's widened in fright. Svadilfari lunged into the room, but Loki sprang out of the way, falling to the ground in the process. "Don't run," Svadilfari said.

"Hey!" Tony objected. Loki backed away from Svadilfari, teleporting away when the man looked at him once more. "What the hell was that!" Tony yelled.

"What was what?" Svadilfari asked. "I merely tried to catch him. You should see if he is still nearby."

Tony glared at Svadilfari a moment before checking his device and finding no temperature reading low enough to be Loki's. "He's gone," He told him. "You should go back and help the others. I'll catch up."

Svadilfari left without further prompting.

Tony was rather relieved when the other man was gone and he could search through the apartment in peace. Something about the way Loki looked at Svadilfari left him feelings... unsettled.

He shook the feeling off as he wandered through he place. It seemed mostly empty until he came to the bedroom. There were three boxes spread out on the floor of equal size, red, blue, and green, along with a small satchel that held stones and a mirror. There was nothing else in the entire apartment, it barely even looked lived in, so it couldn't be Loki's base of operations. Still, Tony decided to keep this place in mind as he gathered the boxes and the satchel and took off.

* * *

Lockley kept herself out of sight as she watched the battle between the Avengers and doombots. She had never really watched one of the battles her team had orchestrated before. She'd watched them all spar before, seen the doombots in action first hand, but she hadn't really seen a full on battle. The Avengers were good, but they weren't better than her team. She'd seen The Widow fight before, but she wasn't stronger than The Enchantress or Lunatic. Iron Man was impressive, but certainly Doom was smarter.

This unknown person, however, was terrifying. This had to be the person that had frightened Loki. He must have had strength to match the gods, if the way he faced off against Doom so easily was anything to go by. That man's armor was made to last. He became much more frightening when he transformed into a beast of a horse and almost trampled Doom.

She waited a few minutes after Doom and The Enchantress disappeared before pressing the button on a her phone to detonate the Doombots. She didn't have to worry about tossing the phone. Even if someone found it and knew which button to press, Doom didn't use repeat frequencies. She hovered nearby until The Widow was able to catch sight of her, then she slipped away. She only had to wait a few minutes, wandering minutely away before Black Widow found her.

"Thought you might have been dead... or worse," The Widow said in greeting.

Lockley gave her a small smile. "I got lucky. Saved. It was a little... upsetting, however, so I decided to stay low until I was... calmer."

"Understandable," She responded. The spy didn't look as if she particularly sympathized, however.

"I wanted to ask about Magneto and the... exploding thing," Lockley began. "Did that get... taken care of?"

"Shield's handling it," She responded immediately.

"Successfully?" Lockley questioned.

Black Widow nodded.

"I'm glad that no one was hurt during this fight. I didn't really have much information. I wasn't sure where or what would be the result."

"How did you get the information? Blocked channels?"

Lockley only smiled before turning away, but without turning her back to the assassin. "I'll see you around." The Widow watched as the other red head walked around a corner, but even after a few minutes of watching, she didn't see where the girl went afterwards.

"You'd make a decent spy," She said aloud before returning to her team.

* * *

Tony went straight to his lab after leaving Loki's apartment, emptying the contents of the bag onto one of his work tables. "So... what have got here," He said aloud to himself. "A mirror, rocks, and boxes. Great." He stared at the seemingly innocuous items for a long moment.

"Jarvis, scan the items."

"Already in progress, sir." The A.I's voice replied immediately. "The items give off a low amount of energy but not enough to be fully identified."

"Alright, then." Tony reached for one of the boxes.

"Sir, do you think that course of action is wise?" Jarvis questioned.

"Sometimes you have to take chances, Jav," Tony replied. He opened the green box, which immediately became larger as a bird flew out. "Whoa!" Tony jumped back. "What the hell is that!"

"I am Loki!" The bird spoke in a surprising clear and human tone. He didn't recognize the type bird, but then again, what did he know about birds?

Tony watched the bird warily. "Um... Did that bird just come out of that box?"

"So it appears, sir."

"That box was small enough to fit in my hand!" Tony objected.

"Not any longer, it seems, sir."

The bird was sitting calmly atop Dum-E and the robot was uncommonly still beneath it. "Uh... Hi?" The bird didn't respond. "So... what are you?" He could not have felt more ridiculous if he tried.

"I am Loki!" The bird repeated.

"Okay... I don't know what that means."

"Loki is Loki," The bird said insistently.

"Alright... What... why... How did you fit inside that box?" Tony questioned, more to speak aloud than to talk to the bird, but it answered regardless.

"Magic," It answered.

"Magic," Tony repeated, the skepticism heavy in his voice. "You were in there because of magic?"

"I am magic. It is magic. Loki is magic." The bird explained. If you could call that an explanation, which Tony did not.

"You aren't making any sense!" Tony yelled.

"Ask better questions," The bird said.

"Why were you in the box?"

"Because you wanted answers and I can give them."

"Then give me answers," Tony bit out in frustration.

"Ask questions," The bird retorted.

Tony was seriously getting a migraine. "Do you always talk in riddles?" He demanded.

"I am Loki, whose tongue was an anvil where the sharpest lies where forged. I am Loki, and I have things to say that you must know. I am Loki, who you must not trust." That said, the bird flew into the air, circling overhead before diving back into the box, which closed directly afterwards.

"Did we learn anything just now? I don't feel like we learned anything?"

"Perhaps consulting Thor would be wise, sir. He may be able to shed some light on the purpose of these objects." Jarvis suggested.

"Yes, good idea," Tony agreed. "Ask Thor to come down here, would you?"

Tony decided to poke around the other boxes while he waited. He opened the red box, which also became larger upon opening. Reaching inside, he pulled out a painting, a portrait of Loki in royal finery with his signature green cape. It was a beautiful, very detailed portrait. He placed it on the table, staring at it, wondering why it was in the box. He reached into the box again and pulled out another painting, a family portrait he assumed. Loki and Thor were standing in between two older people. A regal woman with a warm smile, who he assumed to be the queen, stood beside Loki, while a man with an eye patch and a spear, that Tony assumed to be the king, stood beside Thor. They looked happy and Tony was still staring at it when Thor arrived.

"My friend!" Thor greeted. "This is the first I have been invited to this sanctuary of yours."

"Yeah, I know. I don't usually like other people down here," Tony told him.

"I am flattered," Thor said as he came to Tony's side. "How may I be of service to you, my friend?"

"I found an apartment of Loki's during the fight," Tony explained. "He got away, but I found this stuff that I assume belongs to him."

Thor was on the opposite end of the table than Tony, so the stones and mirror caught his eye first. The god reached out to the mirror. "Those are healing stones," He gestured to the rocks. "They can repair large amounts of damage, restore lost organs or limbs if applied in a timely manner. They are one of our most valuable resources, only our healers or Idunn's apples have better restorative properties."

"And that?" Tony nodded toward the mirror.

"This is of a set. It belongs to our mother. She keeps the other and they can speak through it." Thor was silent a moment before he whispered, "I wish that this was still in Loki's possession. If he will talk to no one else, he will speak to mother. Of that, I am sure."

"I also found these," Tony gestured to the boxes.

Thor stared at the boxes, then at the paintings beside them as he set down the mirror. "It has been many a decade since I've set eyes upon these creations of Loki's. We were much closer when he showed these things to me."

"What are they?"

"They are linked to his magic," Thor explained. "Loki has always been better than me at... clandestine affairs. Our father sent Loki on many missions that involved lies and tricks. Sometimes he would tell me of it, but eventually he stopped. He used to say that he thought he would lose himself to it, all the lies and deceit, so he created these, tied directly to his magic, in order to keep track." Thor placed his hand on the green box. "Green is Loki's color. This box contains what he believes to be the truth. He once said that this is for all that he must not be and all that he is."

"Pretty roundabout explanation, isn't it?" Tony asked.

Thor smiled. "Brother never was one to speak plainly." He gestured to the remaining boxes. "Both of these are for lies." He pointed to the blue box. "This one contains all the lies that Loki has told to others." He pointed to the red one next. "And this one contains lies that others has told to Loki. They are all connected to Loki, so they don't know anything that Loki does not, but memory is not infinite even for us, and Loki does not like to forget. I used to think it was foolish for him to dwell so on lies and deception, but now I do not know what to think."

"You ever looked through these before?"

"On occasion Loki would let me, but that has not been for some time." Thor's gaze lingered on the pictures and he traced a hand along the gilded frame. "Which box did this come from?"

"The red one," Tony answered softly, aware that that answer would probably cause his friend pain.

Thor nodded as if this answer made sense, but it still didn't sit well with him. He looked sad again and Tony almost regretted asking, but he needed the answers.

"So how does it work?" Tony asked.

"That is something only Loki could answer," Thor told him. "They are based on magic. Loki's magic, subject to chaos and change. It responds to the one that opens it. It is made to respond to questions and inquiries, but it is as tricky as Loki himself. The contents change to answer whatever inquires are asked, but they are connected to Loki, so they will not work for anyone. It will not respond to his enemies or those that mean him harm, and it is more favorable to those that Loki himself is favorably disposed toward."

"How can it tell all that?" Tony questioned.

"Magic."

"Of course," He replied derisively.

"If they respond to you, then it is not my place to keep them from you." Thor looked at Tony searchingly, his gaze hard. "Know this Man of Iron, if you bring harm to my brother, I will respond with ten fold the retribution."

Tony put his hands up in supplication and stepped back. "Hey, I don't even know how to work these things! What am I going to do?"

"I am not a fan of Loki's secrets, but even I know that they are sometimes needed." Thor held his gaze. "If you use this against Loki when he is obviously fond of you, I will not be pleased."

"I get it! I get it!"

Thor nodded and turned back toward the elevator. "Tread carefully, my friend."

Tony watched Thor until he disappeared into the elevator. "Did I just get the shovel talk from a god?"

"It appears so, sir."

Tony sighed. "This is so unfair. I'm not even..."

"Are you sure about that, sir?" Jarvis questioned.

"No one asked you!"

"If you say so, sir."

* * *

"You do realize that it was monumentally idiotic to do as you have just done, yes?" Loki asked as he appeared in the main room with Raven, his gaze on Victor and Amora. The two looked at him as he walked toward them.

"I am aware that it could have been more thought out," Victor replied.

Loki paused as he looked at them. He narrowed his eyes. "It is unlike you to stand down so quickly. What happened?"

"That beast almost killed him!" Amora yelled. "He turned into a horse, Loki!"

"I did not expect that he would resort to that among the mortals," Loki said slowly. "I suppose he is not taking great pains to keep his secrets."

"Who is he?" Victor demanded.

Loki paused a long moment. "I will tell you of him, but only once this spell is removed from me."

Amora approached, hands glowing as she reached for Loki. "This was a very complicated spell. Strong, as well"

"I expected as much," Loki murmured. Amora's eyes began to glow as she started chanting, taking hold of his skin. After a few minutes a faint glow shimmered across Loki's skin and then he returned to normal. She backed up just afterwards, looking at him with confusion.

"What kind of spell was that, Loki?" Amora asked. "It wasn't-"

"Later, Enchantress," Loki snapped. It felt good to be back in his own skin, again. It also felt good to be able to change what skin that was. He shifted to his female form, to that of a wolf, a bird, then back to normal. He took a few deep breaths, avoiding looking at them as he began to speak. "His name is Svadilfari. He is a Vanir mage, a traveler and a builder, a shapeshifter of some renowned." He paused taking a few steps away from them and looking off into the distance. "He was tasked with a project and, knowing something of me, requested my aid and assistance. This was after your banishment, Amora, so I doubt you heard of the commission until long after."

"The wall?" Amora questioned. "Svadilfari is The Builder? He is known for asking high prices."

"Indeed. The negotiations held for quite some time. He asked for the sun, the moon, Freiya's hand, all manner of things Asgard did not wish to part with. Eventually, father sent me to aid in negotiations and his desire changed. He asked for me, access to me, as an apprentice of sorts until the construction was complete."

"Why?" Victor interjected, but softly.

Loki didn't answer, so Amora took it upon herself to offer an explanation. "Loki is an anomaly of Asgard. On Asgard, men are warriors, women are mages, to be otherwise is greatly looked down upon. Loki is the second prince, his deviancy is well known because of that. It must have caught his interest."

Loki nodded. "Just so. He instructed me and I aided him. He was more advanced than the tutors of Asgard and I learned much. He taught me shapeshifting, magical construction, and once my skill and our work was nearly complete, he took a different interest with me. Father forbade me from returning to Asgard until the wall was done, so I ran and he gave chase. I tried any form I could think of to escape, to run faster, but he caught me regardless. He forced me backed into my normal form, used a spell ton stop me from changing. His magic was stronger than my own, he used it to hold me down, to trap me, and he... took liberties with me until such time as he deigned to finish his task." Loki shivered slightly. "There was a deadline. He failed to complete his task before that deadline so he was banished from Asgard and I was quick to disappear if I ever thought him near."

They were all quiet and Loki's voice was a whisper as he continued. "He is a nightmare to me."

"Loki..." Amora whispered.

"I am going to retire for a time," Loki said, walking away from them all.

It was only once after Loki was gone that Victor spoke again. "I will have that man's head," He promised. "Whatever it takes."

"The Vanir are not as strong as Asgardians, but they have more potent magics. His defeat will not come easily and Loki is not likely to be much help to us."

"And we will not ask him to," Victor commanded. "I will destroy him and have his head as a trophy."

"With that man after Loki, is he safe here?" Raven questioned.

"Yes!" Victor snapped.

"Loki and I have heavily warded this place," Amora assured. "Heimdall could not find us if we stood five paces before him, Svadilfari shall not either."

"What are we going to do now?" Raven questioned again.

"Loki has a plan," Amora said. "Loki always has a plan, we just have to get him to tell us what that is. Loki has never been one to put all the pieces of a puzzle in one place unless that place is his own mind."

Victor rose. "I have work to do. I will have new tracker bracelet's completed tonight and then I will begin work on how to decimate-"

"The Builder!" Raven interjected. "I don't like hearing his name."

"Names have power," Amora said. "The essence of a mage can often be conveyed this way, but it can also get a person's attention if they're looking for it." Amora paused, a dazed look suddenly taking over her eyes. When she came out of the impromptu trance, she swore in an unknown language. "I must go! Tell Loki I am going for Skurge!" That said, Amora disappeared.

"That... can't be good, can it?" Raven questioned.

"We will worry about it later," Victor said. "Inform Loki of her departure tonight. I have work to do." Victor headed to his lab.

Raven hesitated before asking. "Would I be in the way?"

"No."

Raven smiled as she followed after him.

* * *

"Alright. Let's try this again," Tony said to himself as he reached for the green box. He'd already put away the portraits and closed that box, before spending a few minutes contemplating what to investigate next. He'd thought about trying to figure out the mirror, but best case scenario, he didn't really want to talk to the queen of Asgard. What would he even say? _"Hi, I'm hunting your son! Say, why did you let him out of prison?"_ Yeah, no.

"So, this is based on questions, so I need to ask a question. What's a good question?" Tony rambled aloud. He picked up the box as he thought, watching as it shrunk in size until it fit neatly in his palm. There were a lot of things to question about Loki. Where would he even start? "Alright, I got it! What is Loki up to?" He opened the box and a small explosion erupted from it, making Tony jump and drop the box, the lid falling neatly back on top of it. "The hell was that?"

"I believe it was the answer to your question, sir." Jarvis answered.

"So, what? Loki's gonna blow us up?" Tony yelled. He ran a hand threw his hair, flustered.

"I believe you are thinking about this too literally, sir."

Tony sighed as he picked up the box. "I didn't ask anything when I opened that other box, so maybe I'm going about this the wrong way." He opened the box again, sighing in relief when nothing else exploded or came out of it. He reached into the box and pulled out a lock. He stared at it in confusion before reaching in again. More locks. He overturned the box, larger once more, as more than two dozen locks fell out and one key. "Fine. I get it. It tells the truth but it doesn't actually have to be helpful."

Tony doesn't know why he expected different. Didn't Thor tell him Loki's magic was tricks and chaos?

He didn't have time to play around here. He needed to get back to Pepper. He hadn't gotten to do as much as he wanted to, and he needed to devote his full attention to her. Even thinking that, he still placed all the things back into Loki's bag and took them with him when he returned to Malibu.


	17. In Which, Agents Of Shield

Loki remained unseen until the next morning, when he walked into the dinning room in female form. He joined Victor and Raven at the table. "Where is Amora?"

"Gone," Victor answered. "She said that she was going after Skurge."

Loki nodded. "Her champion. She left him behind to guard her homestead and he is not a man defeated easily. Someone must want to keep her away, so we should be on guard."

"Speaking of, Trickster, do you intend to let us in on your plans?" Victor questioned.

"It isn't a solid plan just yet and I haven't put together all the pieces," Loki told them.

"Come on, Lunatic!" Raven said. "Show us your thinking process!"

Loki was quite as he took a sip from his glass of wine, picking at a few pieces of fruit on his plate. "I want to work on preventative measures for the upcoming invasion. A way to go to them before they come to us, or to attack them before they touch the surface. Jane Foster was working on replicating the Bifrost and her work looked sound enough when I read through it last night, if a bit flawed. She was going to Stark for funding, but after the incident days ago, I doubt he remembers her request. Between the two of you, I'm sure you can tackle this task," He said to Victor.

"You think I cannot complete this task on my own?" Victor questioned.

"I think you'll be too busy to put your full focus into it," Loki replied. "Shield has been blocking her attempts to further her research. If we reach out to her, the funding will catch her attention and the promise of unmonitored progress will bring her here. I will leave it to you to reach out to her. I assume you can act in a professional capacity long enough to do so."

"What significance is this woman? Surely there are others?"

"One, she is leading in this particular field, and two, she belongs to my brother. One way or another, she will be pulled into this conflict. She was before and handled herself well enough, and she kept as calm as could be expected during the Extremis incident. She is a worthy woman."

Victor was silent in a way that Loki knew meant he was pouting. Loki smirked.

"There is also Extremis. I'll need you to look into it. We may have to look to Shield for the information, but it is imperative that we have counter measures for it. Also, Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, was injected with it and if Tony Stark cannot, I want you to stabilize it."

"You have a lot of plans in place," Victor said.

"I have a lot of potential plans," Loki corrected. "These scraps are not a plan. I have to retrieve my scepter from Shield before that becomes a problem, as well." Loki lost herself in thought a little longer. "We cannot avoid contact with The Avengers forever. Stark knows who I am and I am uncertain whether or not he has made mention of that. When Amora returns I can have her reach out to Captain American... There's a chance the agents I once had control over would be willing to help if I can find the right approach... We could always use more hands..."

"On that note," Raven interrupted. "There is something I've been meaning to mention. About other mutants that might be willing to help us."

Loki smiled at her. "Oh? Do tell, Raven."

* * *

"Can I talk to you, Thor?" Natasha asked as she entered the room. The god was seated on the couch beside Steve and Clint, and he immediately stood upon hearing the voice of his fellow warrior. Since Tony and Bruce's return trip to Malibu, the Avengers had been spending a bit more time together in the tower. The other two continued with what they were doing as Thor approached the spy.

"Lady Natasha!" He bellowed. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"I haven't seen Svadilfari since that incident with Doom. Do you know where he went?"

"Ah, yes!" Thor answered. "He said that he was going to lure Amora away from this realm so that we could perhaps speak to Loki alone."

"And you haven't heard from him since?"

"Nay."

Natasha was quiet a moment as she watched him closely, scrutinizing. "Doesn't something strike you as odd about him, Thor?"

"Odd?"

"He almost killed Doom."

"A misunderstanding, he assured me," Thor said. "It is uncommon to spare one's enemies. An admirable trait to be sure! But one that is unique to Midgard. The All-father is not known for his mercy."

"He seemed pretty focused on getting to Loki."

"Tis what the All-father sent him to do."

"Nothing about his behavior seems strange to you?" Natasha pushed. "What about when he worked with Loki before? How was he then?"

"I do not know," Thor told her. "When the All-father sent Loki to aid Svadilfari, he forbid him from returning until the wall was complete. They were given a deadline so that they did not get distracted from their work and since they did not complete their task in time, Svadilfari was forbidden to return to Asgard, and Loki was not much interested in speaking on their time away."

"That didn't seem odd to you?"

"There were many things that Loki did not speak of. Our father often had him do things that he was not to tell the rest of us and Loki was never the talkative type. I thought nothing else of it."

Natasha frowned at that. "Why would the All-father forbid his return?"

"Svadilfari asked for many things when we intially tried to negotiate," Thor explained. "Among those things was the hand of Freiya, goddess of beauty, magic, and a true treasure of Asgard. It was only once Loki was sent to negotiate that he changed his mind and insisted upon having his help as his price for the building and the All-father didn't want to encourage him to request anything more."

"Nothing seemed off about that, Thor?" Natasha questioned.

"If you mean to say something, Lady Natasha, I would rather you speak plainly."

"I don't trust him," She stated plainly.

"He has done nothing wrong."

"I trust my instincts," She told him.

"And I trust my father," Thor replied before walking off.

Once Thor had left the room, Clint turned to her. "You really think there's something off about that guy?"

She nodded, but her gaze was still on Thor. "There's something more to this story and I want to find out what it is."

* * *

Alright. Tony could admit it to himself if not out loud. Trying to deal with Extremis was not as easy as he expected it to be. A few solid days of working on it and that was the only thing he could say for sure. It wasn't the same as the formula he had worked on years ago and he wasn't making as much progress as he wanted.

He slumped down over the desk as he waited for Jarvis to finish the test he had running and his eyes immediately drifted to the satchel at the end of the table. There wasn't anything he could do until the test were done, so there wasn't any reason he couldn't take a break. He reached into the bag and took out the blue box. "Which one is this Jarvis?"

"According to Mr. Odinson, lies that the younger Odinson has told," Jarvis answered.

He reached into the box and pulled out a handful of paper scrapes. He lined them up on the table as he read them over.

_"You are not my brother."_

_"Your kind was meant to kneel."_

_"I come with glad tidings of a world made free."_

_"I will give you the Tesseract."_

"What's this?" He picked up the scrap of paper that mentioned the Tesseract. He turned it over, mildly surprised to see that there was writing on the back. _"I wish to rule their world."_ He looked back at the front where the text had changed. _"I will open a portal for you."_

"These are lies, right? About the invasion," Tony murmured to himself as he reached into the box again. "So who are you talking to?"

_"I am the God of Lies!"_

_"They will kneel before me!"_

_"They are nothing compared to us."_

_"Thor will come."_ Abruptly, that scrap of paper erupted into flames and disappeared. He looked at the other scrapes of paper, their text now changed. They all read the same thing._ "Thor will come." "Thor will come." "Thor will come." "Thor will come."_ Without Tony touching it, the green box fell onto it's side and a single scrap of paper fell out. It was larger than the others, written in elegant script that looked like what he assumed Loki's hand writing would, stained with what he could only assume was blood and tears. "_**Thor didn't come."**_

Tony stared at that for a long time, tentatively reaching out to touch it. He didn't know anything about having a brother or siblings at all, but he imagined that the amount of emotion he read from the text alone left something to be said about them. He had no idea what was between Loki and Thor, but he guessed an immortal brotherhood would be hard to break. It was already clear that Thor cared about Loki and this proved that Loki still cared, too. So why was he hiding from him? Well, he was maybe a villain right now... and that weird Sadil-guy was around and Loki didn't seem to want to get anywhere near him.

"Sir, the test are complete," Jarvis announced.

"Alright." Tony got up. "Bring up the results Jarv."

* * *

This was a risk. This was a great risk. But Loki needed information and it would be a lot easier this way than trying to get it from Shield, if they even had it.

Loki had spent the previous day giving Victor and Raven the full account of the attack that happened at Stark Industries. Victor wanted to get a hold of the samples Shield took of the Extremis serum and Norns knew that it should be kept out of Shield's reach as long as possible. How they went about that was up for debate, however, and if Shield failed at keeping the soldiers and mutants contained, then they needed not to be implicated. He had enough bad associations as it was.

Loki was a villain. There was little he could do to make the mortals think otherwise. Luna, however, was a question, and one person held a potential answer. Loki very much needed to know whether or not Tony had given Shield that answer.

Tony Stark had been rather good about finding Luna before, so Loki didn't feel the need to do anything more than wait. She was sitting outside as normal, two drinks on the table, one in front of her and one across, when Iron Man slid into the seat across from her. "Didn't think I'd be coming across you again," He said.

"That is what I used to think of you, but you proved to be a very persistent man," Luna responded.

Tony took hold of the drink in front of him, taking a healthy swing. "I could say the same thing about you."

"Could you?" Luna questioned.

"Yeah, the only question is why." Tony leaned forward, careful not to rest the full weight from the Iron Man suit on the table. "You're trying very hard to do something here and I can't figure out your game."

"Can't you?" Luna also leaned forward. "I thought that I was rather straight forward with you, Iron Man."

"Tony."

"Stark," Loki replied with a smirk.

"I wouldn't call this being straight forward," Tony said as he looked her up and down before catching her eyes.

"I told you that I wasn't what you see," Luna responded. "And that the truth would scare you off."

"Well, you're wrong about one of those things," Tony informed her. "And I told you that I wanted to pick you apart. Now there are just more pieces."

Luna looked momentarily surprised at that before covering it with a blank expression. "That isn't why I'm here, Stark."

"Why are you here?"

"I had a question to ask you."

"You and me both," Tony laughed. "So, shoot."

Luna gave him a flat look. "Did you tell them?" She asked. "About me?"

Tony hesitated and looked away a moment. "No, I didn't. You probably should tell me why that's a good thing."

"I've already told you that, haven't I?"

"You aren't really the best at explaining things."

"Now isn't really the best time, Stark." Luna's expression became serious. "I'm not willing to risk being around any of you as long as he is here." With that Luna stood, but Tony reached out to grab her hand before she could disappear.

"You mean that Saddle guy?" Tony questioned. "What is up with him anyway?"

Luna almost laughed at that, but the momentary amusement from the joke was quickly overwhelmed by fear. "Svadilfari," She whispered. "You would do best to be wary around him, Stark. Do not show weakness." Luna slipped from his hold and soon disappeared.

* * *

It was a nondescript building. The street lights surrounding the building were out, casting thick shadows and darkness over the area. Clint kept to the shadows as he hesitantly approached the building, looking around every few steps. He wasn't certain why he was doing this, why he would respond to a mysterious summons instead of telling Shield was beyond him. Call him curious, he guessed.

He entered the building bow drawn, advancing slowly. There were too many open entrances for his liking and the place was too big to really scout around. Anyone who knew he was coming had enough room to evade him if they wanted. He heard the soft sound of footsteps and turned quickly, a twitch away from firing an arrow in someone's eye socket, only to find himself on the other end of a familiar gun.

"Clint Barton," She acknowledged, but didn't put away her fire arm.

"Melinda May?" His response was more question than confirmation. "Are you the one who-"

"No," She answered quickly. Nodding at him, she pointed her weapon away as she tentatively approached and he did the same, moving until they were back to back. They moved forward slowly until they heard a clamor behind them and they both turned, weapons first, finding two very surprised and young agents staring at them.

"Uh, Hello." One of them said.

"Who are you?" Melinda demanded.

"Oh! Oh! You're! She's!" The girl turned to the equally excited boy at her side.

"The Cavalry!" The boy finished.

"Don't call me that!" Melinda narrowed her eyes and took a step closer. "Who. Are you?"

"Oh! He's Fittz."

"She's Simmons."

"What are you doing here?" Clint questioned.

"Probably the same thing we're all doing here," Answered Grant Ward as he stepped into the room from a different entrance. "I'm surprised that you don't recognize them. I recognize all of you."

"I have no idea what you mean," Melinda responded curtly.

"That's probably what you told them, but you know that won't work on us, right?" Grant said. "I mean, we all have first hand knowledge."

Melinda turned her gun toward him.

"Hey, let's all calm down!" The group jumped at the sound of an unknown voice and lights turned on in the center of the room. A young woman with brown hair sat at a table in the center of the room, a laptop open before her as she watched them. Immediately a bow and a gun were trained on her. She raised her hands in the air. "Try not to be so hostile!"

"Who are you?" Melinda demanded.

"Call me Skye," She said. "And before you ask, yes, I'm the one that invited you here."

"How did you get access to Shield?" Melinda demanded.

"That's not as important as how I got access to you, is it?" Skye asked. "The five of you have something in common that is very interesting to me." She turned back to her computer and typed quickly before turning the screen to face them. Five separate windows were open on the screen, each one showing information on the present Shield agents. "Shield thought that the five of you were dead, fears that you're under the influence of alien forces, and trust you less than they trust civilians. And you know whose fault that is?"

"Loki's," Clint answered.

"No. It's Shield's," Skye said. "Shield is the one that sent you through re-education and Shield is the reason why other worldly forces arrived in the first place."

"That's classified information," Melinda objected.

"Not so classified, now," Skye said.

"Not that this isn't interesting," Ward began, "But what did you actually call us here for?"

"Because I need you."

"Us? Specifically?" Simmons questioned.

"What could you want with us?" Fitz added.

"Well first off, you five answered my call. That tells that you aren't the good little agents Shield wants you to be. Which is good!" Skye told them before they protested. "After what Shield did to you, it's only right that you doubt them a little. And that's also why I need you five. You were under the control of another person and Shield has the item that made that happen under their possession. They have that item and they question your loyalty. Those two things don't really seem like a good idea, do they?"

"And talking to you is?" Clint questioned.

"Do you really think that Shield should have that in their possession?" Skye inquired.

"I don't think anyone should, but I trust shield to keep it contained," Melinda said.

Skye shrugged. "I wouldn't, and I don't really think that you do either." Slowly, she stood up, holding out a small stack of business cards as she approached them. "Loki took control of you but he never hurt you."

"He took over my mind!" Clint yelled.

"So does Shield, but at least Loki gave it back to you afterwards. Does Shield give you that courtesy?" She looked at them one by one. "I don't know what Shield has done for you before this or what it means to you. I'm just stating the facts as I see them. Food for thought. And once you're ready for another meal," She held out the cards. "You can call me."

"You think we're going to let you leave?" Grant asked. "With what you know?"

She smiled at them. "I'll leave my number on the table." The lights went out once more and everyone jumped, drawing weapons, but when the light returned moments after, she was gone, the stack of business cards left on the table.

"Well, what do we do now?" Simmons asked.

"I know what we shouldn't do," Grant said. "We shouldn't tell Shield. Not after what happened the last time they saw fit to question us."

Melinda put her weapon away as she approached the table. The laptop was still there as were the business cards. "I know what I'm going to do," She told them. "I'm going to find out who that was and what they want."

Skye watched from the doorway a moment before ducking out. She skin flashed blue for a single moment before Raven shifted form and quickly made her way out through the shadows.


	18. Svadilfari Ruins Everything

_Doom had been quite thorough with the information he had gleamed from Shield when he attacked them. Information on all the agents that Loki had taken control of, the evaluations and treatments of them since the event, their life before. Everything available on them Doom had gathered and it was Raven's job to decide how to use it._

_"I can't possibly memorize all this," Raven sighed._

_"You don't have to," Loki replied. They were both in Doom's lab, the scientist mostly ignoring them as he delved into his work and Loki standing behind her chair where she looked at Shield files on the computer. "Learn only what you need, but read all that you can. Afterwards, you can decide what may or may not be the best approach. I know you've had some experience with subterfuge."_

_"I don't have much experience with Shield agents," Raven said._

_"You aren't going into this as Lockley," Loki told her. "If you do anything at all. You are other, outside of this. Too much professionalism would put them on edge, that's why I'm not going to attempt this. Romanov was able to tell that I was a liar, but not the lie. You are a deceiver by trade, my Raven, but you have enough inexperience to still be sincere."_

_"Inexperience," She echoed with a frown._

_Loki laughed. "Does it bother you, little one?" He asked her with a wicked grin._

_Raven silently pouted as she poured over more information. Loki was patient and still behind her and she had the feeling that he could wait her out if she ever did throw a tantrum, so she decided not to even try. "Are you really going to let me decide how to go about this?"_

_"Well I do expect you to tell me of your plan," Loki replied. "And once you have decided upon a plan, perhaps after you have executed it, I shall see you off to meet your Professor Xavier. Unless you wish to go alone."_

_"You can drop me off nearby, but I don't think you should meet, yet. He reads minds, you know."_

_"His loss if he reads the things that reside in my mind," Loki said. "And he will only see the truth of my conviction."_

_"I do not want an unknown knowing of me," Victor interjected._

_"If it becomes a problem, we can deal with it," Loki said. "Not before."_

_"We have a lot of problems just now." Victor argued._

_"And we will have more still until The Mad Titan is taken down. Such is the nature of war and conflict."_

_"Oh!" Raven spoke up. "I think I have an idea."_

_"Great. Let's hear it."_

* * *

Before the 'Loki incident,' as it was called, Melinda had had a very high security clearance in Shield. She had nothing now. She was watched where ever she went inside Shield facilities, no longer allowed on field assignments, and she had virtually no access. Trying to investigate "Skye" on her own was a no go and she doubted her fellow five were much better.

Grant was correct in his assumption that she knew them all already. She had told them all that she didn't remember anything, she was certain that the others had done the same, but that was a lie. She remembered everything. Loki hadn't been the monster she wanted him to be, that she pretended him to be, but that didn't mean she wasn't holding a grudge. A grudge against Loki, Shield, the world, she was angry and wasn't very picky who she was directing that anger at.

She wasn't so angry that she wanted to sell out Shield, though.

She considered asking Romanov for a favor, but that girl was too sharp. She'd follow the questions to the wrong conclusion and nothing would get done that way. If this "Skye" was out to hurt Shield, no one would be able to stop it from that point, and if she wanted to help, she could possible be shut down too soon. She'd leave that resource for Barton to utilize, if he dared.

Both Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons were barely out of academy, they couldn't be used as useful sources of information. They were likely to have low clearance and untested skills, useful to an alien new to the planet, not as useful for anything else. Grant Ward had no such skill to utilize. There was nothing he could do that she couldn't and so there was nothing that he could do for her.

"Damnit!" She swore, hitting the table. She hated no knowing. More than that she hated indecision. She didn't know what this Skye woman wanted and worse, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do about it.

"Melinda?" Coulson questioned. He was in the hall paused mid step, obviously on his way elsewhere when she caught his attention. "Hey," He said as he approached. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just," Melinda took a breath. "Just a little stressed."

"I know a lot has been going on lately, but if you need to talk, to someone who isn't paid to report to Fury, let me know," Coulson told her, laying a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "Don't be a stranger, May."

She let out a breath. "You should remember your own advice," She told him with a small smile.

* * *

Bruce Banner was exhausted. He was working off of too little sleep, too few ideas, and with far too much stress. Both he and Tony had been doing everything that they could think of to stabilize Extremis, but it had all come to naught so far. It had taken them weeks just to be able to recreate the serum, let along change it, and Pepper was running out of time. It took frequent re-administrations to keep her barely hanging on, and despite popular opinion, Tony Stark did not have infinite resources.

Over the last year or so, Bruce had come to really care about both Tony and Pepper. They were both fun and considerate people, even if Tony could sometimes get a little carried away. Pepper was one of the few people to treat him normally, not even Tony did that. He treated him like a friend, constantly provoked him, and tried to spoil him with science and equipment, but none of that was normal. Even if it was normal for Tony, which he had quickly understood was the truth.

This situation with Extremis and Pepper had them all tied up in knots. Tony was doing everything he could to both get every needed material and keep it quiet from Shield. He was running himself more ragged than Bruce, spending every possible moment in the lab trying to pull something out of nothing. He and Pepper had had to drag him out the lab and force him to sleep and eat every couple days.

Pepper herself was starting to fray at the edges, as well. She tried to stay on top of Stark Industries, but was too worried about endangering others to go into the office. Someone was constantly dropping off paper work and she could be found glued to a laptop more often than not, throwing herself into whatever work she could to keep her mind off less pleasant things. It was really starting to eat away at her. She was looking less and less put together, worry clear on her face even as she tried to put on a brave front. He was worried that she wasn't sleeping enough and she'd taken to pacing when she was alone. He'd caught her at it a few times and she tried to wave off his concern, but he wasn't having it.

Bruce did his best to track the changes to her body. She had an extremely high metabolism, but was becoming too nervous to eat as much as she should. Her lack of sleep was making her jumpy, putting her more on edge, and Bruce was worried that would make it worse.

He let out a deep and weary sigh as he headed to the lab. He needed to pull Tony up for air. He wouldn't be able to do much good if he kept burning himself out. He slowed as he approached, immediately recognizing that something was off. Tony had a habit of blasting whatever he was listening to and the unrelenting noise was distinctly missing as he approached the lab. Instead, he heard a soft sound that he almost thought was birdsong, but he couldn't imagine why Tony would be listening to that. He really wasn't the type.

He also heard talking and Bruce decided to listen a bit longer, not wanting to break Tony's thought process if he was on a roll. He assumed that he was talking to Jarvis, but quickly found himself questioning that assumption.

"Can't you just take a look at it!" Tony growled in frustration. He slammed his hands down on his work table as he glared at the small bird perched across the room. The bird- a magpie, Jarvis had told him- had a tinting of green to it's wings, having come from the green box. It hadn't last time, but nothing was ever exactly the same when he opened those boxes.

This time he'd had the bright idea to open them all at once, resulting in three birds hanging out in his work space. The one from the blue box, with similarly tinted feathers, had done nothing but sing since it's release. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, seeing as it was from the box of Loki's lies. The red one seemed to spout contradictory nonsense at either himself or the green magpie and he got the feeling a that most of it was quoting things told to Loki.

The green magpie gave him a look, how the bird could be so expressive was a mystery to Tony, as he replied. "I am his magic, not his mind."

"Can't you use your magic to heal her, then?" Tony insisted.

"Enough of your tricks!" The red bird said. "You are no scholar."

"Hey!" Tony turned to the red bird. "No one asked you! Why don't you just go back into your box if you aren't going to be helpful."

"No one needs or wants you here, Trickster."

"That's not what I said," Tony argued.

"Liar! Liar! Liar!" The red bird flew above Tony's head as he spoke, perching elsewhere in the room.

"Ungrateful," The green magpie said.

"No, I'm not."

"Am I to fix all your problems?" It questioned. "I'm sentient, but I'm not actually Loki."

"Foolish mortal," The blue bird paused it's song to speak for the first time.

Tony stared at it incredulously. "Are you ganging up on me now?"

"We are of one person, mortal," The green one said. It began to pick at it's feathers, ignoring the man.

Just then the door to his lab opened and Bruce walked in. The magpies went quiet, but they were outside of the other man's immediate sight. "Tony?" He questioned. "Were you talking to yourself?"

"What? No?" Tony objected, looking around to the find the birds and catching the sight of the blue one fleeing back into it's box. When he didn't see the othrs, he assumed they had done the same thing. "Maybe," He sighed. "Might as well have been."

"I think you need some sleep Tony. This is taking a toll on you-"

"I'm not crazy," Tony interrupted.

"I didn't say you were," Bruce replied. "You're just tired."

Tony didn't really like that response, but just sighed. He closed down what he was working on and decided to go ahead and leave the lab. He did need sleep, after all. As he passed by Bruce, he muttered quietly, "Don't ever listen to birds, Bruce. They are the most unhelpful creatures on the planet."

Bruce responded with a bemused smile as he lead Tony out of the lab. His friend could really the sleep.

* * *

Grant Ward was the first Agent to try and contact Skye. Mostly it was out of curiosity. There was very little hesitation once the decision was made. If nothing else, he needed to gather Intel of what this girl wanted, why she knew so much about Shield, about them. About the Loki incident.

To be honest, he already had formed a suspicion. He had read the myths after the invasion. Loki was a known shapeshifter after all and that girl was practically singing his praise.

It was only a theory, but he would figure out if he was right. He was a Shield agent after all.

He waited until he was certain he was not being watched. Off of shield's premises and out of sight of any tails they had set up. They hadn't seen anything of Loki, but once Thor showed up to say he was back, everyone involved in the Loki incident became under heavy scrutiny once more. Well, except Hawkeye. Lucky bastard was an Avenger and Stark was apparently letting him stay at that Tower an awful lot. That saved him from some of the hell, but he wasn't at the Tower all the time.

"Hello?"

"It's me," He answered, just to see how she would react. He was a spy after all. Little things caused people to give themselves away the most.

"Unfortunately, I don't actually know you all by voice after just one meeting. Though I can assume this isn't Fitz. He doesn't have this confidence."

"Well, what the hell kind of spy are you that you don't even know that?"

"I'm not a spy," Skye said.

"Bullshit," Ward said. "There is no way you would know all that without being a spy for somebody."

"Ever consider that I'm just good with computers?"

Ward contemplated that possibility even as he gave his answer. "So why were you looking into Shield in the first place?"

"Just because you work in the shadows doesn't mean that no one can see you," She said. "A lot of things are happening now that could make somebody curious. Things get covered and countered too quickly, powerful things go missing without a trace. It had to go somewhere and I wanted to know where. After reading up about Shield, though, I don't know if I think that they're the best place."

"Well I agree with you there," Ward muttered. Louder, he asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I want your opinion."

"What?" That threw him off. He was expecting her to ask for a lot of things- information, theft, trying to get him to turn- he wasn't expecting her to want his opinion.

"Half of my argument that Shield is unworthy is based on their treatment of you agents," Skye explained. "I can't believe that they don't abuse the power they have when they so thoroughly abuse their agents. But you're the one with first hand knowledge, not me. All I've got is what I've read. You know what they do with the things they find, with their agents, with their power. Do you think they abuse it? Do you think they deserve it?"

That was probably the easiest question for him to answer. "No."

"So what do you want to do about it, Agent Ward?"

That caught his attention quickly. "I thought you didn't know us by voice?" He questioned.

"I don't," Skye said. "But Hawkeye would not have answered that way no matter what he thought. He's not just an agent, he's an Avenger. He's in too deep."

"So why bother contacting him at all?"

"Because he's in too deep. The Avengers are a motley crew. Good for saving the world, but not good for saving people. Another agent is on the team and at least half of them are people Shield would have (or already has) taken into custody if they weren't actively saving the world. If he was gonna say when, it would not be to them. Couldn't be really."

Ward was silent for a moment. "You're dangerous," He told her.

"As are you, agent."

"So what do you want?"

"Right now, I want to know what you want. I want you opinion. How much good or bad is Shield doing? You don't have to tell me why you think so, but I want to know what you think."

Ward debated for a moment. There was really no reason why he should. At the same time, though, there wasn't much useful he could do being under such heavy scrutiny. So after a moment, he decided to talk. He knew Shield and this person was definitely not Shield. Giving a few opinions would be of no harm.

* * *

It was only another week before Tony decided to return to the Tower. He'd been trying to get Fury to allow him to study Extremis since Shield collected the samples and the man was finally beginning to come around to the idea. Likely, whatever team Fury had researching it couldn't come up with anything.

Tony didn't really care what the reason was for Fury's change of heart, as long as he got the chance to study the samples. He was literally at a dead end at this point and working on those samples was all that he could think of. If he studied what was different between the mutant version and the normal Extremis samples, he would be able to figure out the key to stabilizing the serum.

Part of him wanted to convince Bruce to stay behind with Pepper, not wanting her to be alone, but he also didn't want to keep him from the other Avengers. Slowly but surely they had begun to get along and Tony really didn't want to get in the way of that.

Of course, nothing could ever go that smoothly. They were barely back in the tower an hour before they were called in for an emergency.

He was slightly surprised, but very pleased, to find that Hawkeye was hanging out in the with Thor. Neither Steve nor Natasha were there, but that was to be expected. Steve loved that apartment of his, for whatever reason, and Natasha seemed to live at Shield.

He really wasn't in the mood for whatever distraction this was.

"What are we up against?" Tony questioned Fury. The others were also listening intently.

"Thor's friend is causing a mess in central park," Fury said derisively.

"Svadilfari has returned?" Thor said with slight confusion.

"Doing what?" Hawkeye asked.

"Fighting some giant, axe wielding freak. Just get out there!" Fury demanded.

Tony really wasn't in the mood for whatever this was.

* * *

There was tension in the room. It was a subtle tension as Loki lounged, very much in Victor's way, on his work table beside where Victor worked. Mostly beside. The Trickster's leg was subtly pushing the bot Victor was working on further and further off of the table and the man was this close shoving the god in turn.

The god wasn't usually this... clingy. Or this bothersome, unless he was hanging around in one of his animal forms. Typically, the god was quite helpful or at least interested in what Victor was doing when he was was in the lab. Victor was not particularly interested in what the Trickster's problem was, but he was getting annoyed.

"It is too quiet," Loki said.

It wasn't, actually. The sound of clashing metal echoed through the lab, filling the silence that was between them. Victor didn't bother to reply to the obviously incorrect statement. If the god had something to say, he would say it, but Victor was not interested enough to coax it out of him.

"Usually Amora's harpy shriek's would have destroyed any silence by now." Loki's gaze was focused on the computer screen where Victor had the signals of all the tracking bracelets up. Amora's was absent, since she was off world. Raven was off visiting her mutant allies, but the signal was still there. Victor would not have allowed her to disappeared without it.

The mutant was usually as notable a presence as the missing goddess. Where Amora was all complaints and snark and boasting, Mystique was the sound of action. She was always doing something and the sound usually echoed throughout. More than anyone else in the castle, the mutant had the most normal and noisy of pursuits. Whether it was television, or music, or whatever else that she did -Victor didn't always pay attention to what the girl got up to- she kept the place more lively. Neither Victor nor Loki had made much effort to break the natural lingering silence. Victor had been spending most of his time working and Loki usually buried himself in books.

"You're worrying?" Victor questioned.

"You're not?" Loki replied.

Victor didn't respond to that and Loki didn't speak again.

Because Loki's eyes were practically fixed to the screen, he was the first to notice when Amora's tracking signal reappeared on the screen. He sat up. "Amora has returned," He said immediately, then frowned as he actually took notice of the readings. "But she is not here."

"Where is she?" Victor questioned.

"New York."

"Her apartment?"

"No," Loki answered. He stood. "I'm going to see what she's up to."

There wasn't much chance to argue before Loki teleported off.

* * *

There was already a commotion happening when Loki arrived at Amora's location, but Loki couldn't pay much attention to it. Screams surrounded him, people quickly evacuating the area, but his eyes were only for the person hovering before him. She was strung up by her wrist from a tree, hair tangled and clothes torn, bloody and beaten and barely able to open her eyes as she looked at him.

"Loki..." Amora's voice was barely a rasp. Her body trembled with the pain of it.

"Amora," Loki whispered as he reached out for her, but he was stopped. His breath caught in his throat as a hand grabbed tightly at his wrist.

"Found you again, little prince," Svadilfari whispered. "You even came to me this time." Svadilfari yanked on his wrist to pull him closer, forcibly turning him around and grabbing hold of Loki's other wrist. "Run this time and I finish what I started on her."

Loki tried to suppress the shiver of fear that ran through his body. He needed to get away. He needed to get Amora away. But for a second his mind was completely blank with fear. Then he remembered to struggle. "Release me!"

"Not on your life, my prince," Svadilfari said as he leaned closer. Loki shivered and closed his eyes, trying to pull away. "I've missed you."

Then Svadilfari was forcibly thrown away from him, almost pulling Loki with him, but the god was able to wrench himself free at the last moment. Skurge was standing there, looking much worse off for wear, axe still out stretched from the attack. The sight somewhat snapped Loki out of his fear induced stupor. It was obvious that Skurge had been fighting- and losing- a battle with Svadilfari for a quiet a long time. He was bruised and bloody, but not so bad as Amora. He was stronger than her, had more endurance. He wondered whether Svadilfari had gotten to her before she even reached Skurge or if they had just fought together and lost.

He'd barely paid attention to their fighting when he arrived, too caught up in the sight of Amora, but now he couldn't afford the distraction. Skurge gave him a cursory look before turning back to Svadilfari and Loki back to Amora.

"No!" A blast of dark red energy blasted him away, but he recovered quickly and returned fire. Svadilfari dodged Skurge's axe. The man was fatigued, slow, he'd obviously been fighting too long and it was only a matter of time before their fight was over.

Svadilfari decided to speed up that process. He transformed into his equine form and headbutted Skurge, then trod over him as he raced toward Loki. Loki teleported out of his path, but he couldn't leave. He needed to get to Amora.

He was surprised to find that he wasn't alone anymore when he looked up. The Avengers were arriving, likely drawn by the commotion of Svadilfari and Skurge's scuffle. The moment of distraction was all that Svadilfari needed. He plowed into Loki, then slammed down on both his arms to push and pin him to the ground. Loki screamed as the full weight of the equine body fell on him, crushing his arms and causing agony to rip through him. Svadilfari leaned down over Loki and nuzzled against his cheek and neck, causing him to tremble. "I love that look in your eyes," Svadilfari said. "Beautiful."

Loki tried to summon his magic, but Svadilfari reared up and crushed his legs, too. "No fighting, little prince." Loki closed his eyes, trying to contain the pain.

Then a hammer slammed into the body above him and drove it away.

"Brother!" Thor yelled as he leaned over Loki, reaching out gently to cradle his brother's head. Loki only took one look at Thor before he broke entirely. The pain, the memories, being in his brother's presence, all of it overwhelmed him and wept heavily.

"Thor..." Amora's voice rasped. She was a ways away. Loki had been knocked away from her and the executioner was struggling, badly, to rise. Her gaze was hazily focused on him, clearly fighting for consciousness, but she was able to lock eyes with him nonetheless. The broken look in The Enchantress' eyes only further fueled is rage.

Thor turned the full brunt of his anger on Svadilfari. "What did you think you were doing?" Thor yelled.

Svadilfari was back to his normal form once more, meeting Thor's gaze easily, not in the least bothered by the gods rage. "We wanted to capture him, didn't we?" He gestured to them both. "Now they are both captured."

"This isn't how we do things!" Captain America said fiercely as he stomped up to Svadilfari. "We don't maim people!"

"He will heal," Svadilfari shrugged. "How did you expect to capture him if he was not incapacitated?"

"This wasn't right." Steve snapped back.

"It was effective." Svadilfari shrugged again.

It was clear the anger was boiling in Steve, but a sound from Amora made him turn away. He didn't know whether the sound had been pain or attempt to talk, but he turned his full attention to her and getting her down from the tree she was suspended from.

"Jesus," Tony swore as he got a closer look at Loki's crushed arms. The bones looked shattered and he could swore he saw some peeking out through the flesh.

"I have this situation handled now," Thor said, looking at the Vanir with blazing, angry eyes. His expression clearly said it all. 'Leave. Now.'

Still, Svadilfari took a moment to look at Loki, to wait until the god opened his eyes and his gaze could be caught, saying, "Until next time, Little Prince." Only then did the mage take his leave.

Something like recognition lit in Natasha's eyes as she watched the exchange and the resulting shiver from Loki that followed as he tried to curl in on himself despite broken limb. She didn't comment on it, though. Instead all she said was, "Shield medical's on it's way."

"Nay, we shall depart to the Tower," Thor said. There were a few objections, some more hesitant than others, but Thor cut them all off by turning to Tony. "Do you still have my brother's things with you?"

Tony swallowed as he pulled his gaze away from Loki. "Y-yeah..."

"Good. Then we depart. And I shall hear nothing more of it."


	19. Loki and Amora In the Tower

The atmosphere was distinctly uncomfortable when they reached the tower. Steve kept a protective grip on Amora, Skurge hovering near by and watching the man with a weary gaze. Natasha kept her weapon ready as she watched the gods distrustfully, Clint likewise looking on guard. Bruce seemed more disturbed at the injuries on both gods than nervous about the situation.

"Dr. Banner," Thor said in a quiet, but stern voice.

"Yes?" Bruce answered nervously.

"Will you please care for Amora's wounds." It was stated as a question, but it was clearly a command. Bruce hesitated a moment. "Do no worry," Thor said, looking sternly at the goddess where she was barely conscious in Steve's arms. "She will not cause you trouble."

Amora, in response to Thor's clear command, looked to Skurge and the man seemed to 'stand down.' Steve looked to Bruce as he moved to the elevator, clearly refusing to release her. The doctor followed with slight hesitance, standing as far from the other three as possible, as the warrior also refused to leave his lady's side.

Thor turned to Tony. "Where did you leave my brother's things?"

"What things?" Natasha questioned suspiciously.

Thor completely ignored her, gaze not even wavering from Tony, so Tony decided to follow his lead. "It's in the lab."

Thor looked at him expectantly and Tony took the first step into the elevator. When Natasha made to follow Thor glared at her strongly enough to actually stop her long enough for the doors to close. The trip to the lab seemed quicker than usual, probably thanks to Jarvis, and Thor stepped confidently into Tony's space, laying Loki a top one of the many tables. "Bring me Loki's things," Thor commanded.

Tony ran to get Loki's satchel and handed over to Thor, Loki's hand on Thor's arm stopped him from reaching within. Loki seemed slightly calmer now, even if he was still trembling. "It would be a waste," He choked out.

"Brother." Thor's voice was half a demand and half a plea.

"Amora can heal me once she is well," Loki explained.

Thor placed a hand on the back of Loki's neck, holding it there until Loki looked at him. "I do not wish to see you in pain Loki."

"Why not?" Loki asked quietly. Thor looked at Loki with shocked hurt and Loki looked away as he continued. "Do you not hate me, after all that I have done? Do I not deserve whatever punishment I receive? Are you not here to slay the monster in pretender flesh?"

"What madness is this, Loki?" Thor asked as he looked at his brother with horror. "Why would I ever wish to kill you? Why would I ever think you a monster? You are my brother!"

Loki's reply was almost a whimper. "But I am not..."

"What is this about, Loki?" Thor demanded desperately. "What has happened? Father kept me from visiting you, Mother set you free, and no one has told me anything! What is going on here, Loki! Why did you invade Midgard? Why this talk of monsters?"

Loki shook is head, eyes closed and let out strangled laugh. "He didn't tell you? Of course. Of course he didn't. Thor is not know, after all. Thor is never to know. Cannot have the favored son losing esteem for the All-father."

"Loki!"

"And he sent him after me!" Loki continued without pause at Thor's objection. The younger prince curled up into a ball, despite the pain it had to cause him to move his broken limbs. "Why would he hate me so much? Why would he do this to me again? Why would he?"

"Brother?" Thor questioned, a heartbreaking look of confusion on his face. "I don't understand what upsets you."

"You never do," Loki whispered. "Because I'm not suppose to tell you. You aren't suppose to know."

Tony really didn't now what to do here. He wasn't sure whether he should leave the room or not. At least, not until Loki began to freak out. It wasn't hard to see that the man was starting to lose it and despite Thor's obviously good intentions, he was not helping.

"Hey, Thor. Maybe you should check on Amora? See if she's up to healing Loki?"

Thor looked reluctant to leave, but another glance at the panicking mess that Loki was becoming and he nodded. "I shall return soon."

Tony waited until Thor left before approaching Loki. He wasn't sure what to say or how to help, except to try and distract the god. He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the rocks. "So, hey," He began softly. "How do you use this thing?"

Loki didn't seem to be paying much attention when he replied. "You crush them over injuries."

So of course, Tony squeezed it, shocked to find how easily it seemed to crumble in is hand, and spread the dust over Loki's limbs. Loki seemed to shiver as his bones realigned themselves, the rips and tears in his flesh closed up, bruises healed, and the blood disappeared as the damage was corrected. "Huh." Tony hummed as he watched the dust disappear and the wounds heal.

"Why did you do that?" Loki asked tiredly. "Weren't you listening to what I told Thor?"

"Yeah, but I don't really think she's gonna be up to stuff any time soon."

Loki pushed himself up and locked eyes with Tony. "You've been riffling through my things, Stark."

The accusation caught him off guard a moment. "Uh, well... You left it behind!" He tried to turn the words around on him.

"Yes, well, I was just a bit preoccupied at the time," Loki retorted. He wrapped his arms around himself. "My departure was not permission to riffle through my things. Have you no manners, Stark?"

"I've got the best of manners!"

"Sure you do." Loki sounded tired.

"You okay, Loki?" Tony questioned softly. It felt odd to be talking to Loki as his male self instead of Luna. It was odd to say his name, even.

Loki let out another bitter laugh. This one also tired and soft. "No, Stark. Not in the least."

* * *

The atmosphere in the med-bay was uncomfortable at best, but Bruce was trying to do his best to ignore it. Skurge immediately placed himself across the room, axe against the wall at his side, giving himself the best vantage to see the entire room, but staring intensely at Amora. The goddess didn't return the stare, but looked immensely relieved by it. The moment his eyes were on her, her body seemed to relax the slightest bit.

Amora turned a tired gaze to Steve. "Captain," she said softly. "Can you aid me in undressing?" Steve's face reddened and immediately began to stutter what Bruce assumed to be a rejection, but Amora continued. "Your healer cannot treat my words this way."

Steve looked torn between arguing to protect her modesty and helping her, but after a moment he gave in to the instinct to help. Blushing intensely, he asked, "Are you certain you want me to help?"

Amora's eyes lit up slightly as she nodded. "Yes."

Trying to keep his eyes averted, he reached out for the goddess, who immediately leaned her weight on him. Bruce had busied himself with gathering the supplies needed to clean and treat her wounds and was gathering them on a medical cart on the side of the bed. Amora's half torn dress had been removed by the time he turned back to her and even Bruce, with years of experience as a doctor and being professional, couldn't help but stare. The closest thing to rational thought that he could muster as he took in the sight of the beautiful, but wounded goddess before him was that Asgardians must not wear undergarments, seeing as absolutely nothing had been under that green dress.

Amora smiled tiredly at him, a bit more relaxed than the damage upon her should allow, and reached out to stroke his cheek. "Dr. Banner, I will make a much more attractive sight once clean."

That managed to snap Bruce out of it and he looked away, embarrassed. He couldn't remember ever acting so unprofessional, especially not with a patient so grievously wounded. "S-sorry."

"No need. The sight is meant to be enjoyed."

Steve was having just as difficult a time not staring at her, only he had the extra burden of acting as her pillow and holding her weight up while he tried to avoid the sight. She gave him the same amused smile she gave Bruce.

Bruce started cleaning away the blood from her face. Amora sighed as if truly relaxed.

"You, um, seem to be dealing with your injuries a bit better now," Bruce commented.

"You are a wonderful healer," She sighed. After a pause she corrected herself. "Doctor. A very good doctor."

"I've hardly done anything," Bruce said as he hesitantly moved on to the rest of her body. He was able to keep his staring slightly more under control this time, but he couldn't help... lingering... and then feeling extremely disrespectful about it.

Amora smiled as him as she raised her leg, resting her shoe clad ankle upon his shoulder and causing Bruce to flush more as he fought to look only at her face. "Could you remove this for me, doctor? I fear I've injured my ankle."

More slowly than he would like to admit, Bruce placed his tools on the table and took her leg gently in his hands, removing the shoe. Amora leaned further back on Steve, lifting her leg as she asked him, "Could you remove this one Steve?"

Blushing, he nodded and did so.

Amora locked eyes with Skurge a moment. "Are you well?" She asked in concern. Meeting her eyes, he merely nodded, still resting against the wall. She watched him a while longer, until he spoke.

"I am well enough for your needs, my lady. Mend yourself."

Satisfied with that answer, she turned her attention back to the mortals. She turned slightly to look Steve in the eye as Bruce still poked about her ankle. Smiling, she asked him, "Can you give back massages, Captain?"

"Yes," He answered.

"Would you? Please?" She looked at him through her lashes as his eyes became a bit dazed as he reached for her.

"Yes. For you," He answered her.

Amora sighed into the touch as she turned to Bruce. "Could you, maybe... my leg?"

"Alright," Bruce answered nervously.

Amora smiled and relaxed as she was massaged by the two men, Skurge's gaze never wavering from her person. It wan't true worship, at least not from the mortals, but it was close. It was reverent. It was good. She needed this attention after what she's been through. She felt far too weak...

By the time Thor arrived, she had regained quite a bit of her strength. She was completely leaned against Steve as he massaged her shoulders with one ankle on Bruce's shoulder as he massaged and tended to her leg and thighs. Thor took in the sight, but didn't comment as he sat to the side of her. Amora half looked away and didn't speak either.

"You are looking better, Enchantress," He said quietly.

Amora turned to look further away from him. "Please, Thor."

Thor sighed. "Enchan-"

"I shall beg you if I must!" She yelled. "Please, Thor, just speak my name. Just now, while I need it."

Thor rose and went to her side. Taking her chin in his hand, he turned her to face him, seeing the tears that glittered in her green eyes. "You are looking better, Amora."

She shivered slightly. "Thank you."

"But you are not this better," Thor went on. "Not with just this," He gestured to the mortals. "I know you, Amora. You need more than this."

Another shiver went through her at that. "This is all that I have."

"You have two mortals half under sway and this is all you ask of them?" Thor questioned.

"I didn't think that you would appreciate my bespelling your comrades," She admitted. "Well, anymore than necessary."

Thor moved closer to her, sweeping his finger gently through her now tangled hair and whispering in her ear. "You are beautiful, Amora."

The tremor that went through her this time was highly visible. "Thor-"

"You do not need glamour for that."

"But I-"

"Show me what he has done to you," Thor said. He pressed his forehead against her temple, wrapped one arm around her waist. "Show me, Amora. I must know what he has done."

Amora sighed and closed her eyes and the mostly healed visage that she had slowly placed over herself for the mortal vanished. Instead, every cut, tear, and rip of her flesh stood out in stark red contrast to the pale flesh. Bruce was slowing coaxing the bones in her leg back into place without having noticed. There was bruising around her neck and lip was split. Thor wasn't truly sure whether or not it was worst than the first time he'd seen it. She'd certainly hidden a few of the broken bones.

Thor traced his hands up her sides, applying enough force to slot bones into their proper place and ignoring the small breaths and whimpers that Amora made. "Tell me what happened."

"I felt that Skurge was in trouble and I went him," Amora explained. "He was guarding our home, but he... The Builder was waiting. He wanted me out the way and he wanted me as bait. For Loki."

"Why would he...?" Thor shook his head in confusion. His hands were still roaming gently over the injuries on Amora's form. He was still standing too close. Amora leaned into his hold, taking in all the attention afforded to her in this moment. The mortals had been a much needed drink, but Thor'a attention was always a fountain, a wave. Overwhelming and refreshing and beautiful. "This is too much."

"You are blind, my love," Amora whispered on a sigh. "It was never because of the All-father's word that he came. That was just the excuse. He just wants Loki. No matter what."

"Why?" Thor's voice was desperate.

"I cannot know that," She told hm. "Loki might not even know that. Not truly." She paused. "Did you come to help me? Or only to learn that which Loki will not tell?"

"Does the difference matter?" Thor asked her.

Amora didn't answer. She knew the answer was Loki. It was always Loki, after all. She would take any and all of Thor's attention afforded to her, was too weak for rejecting it to be a good idea even if she ever would, but there was a difference between the two. Thor was perhaps too foolish to know, to understand, or maybe he didn't take her feelings seriously enough to understand that it would be the difference, but it was there all the same.

One of those choices hurt, even as he helped her regain strength enough to heal. Amora tried not to admit it, but that was one thing she could always understand about Loki. Loving Thor hurt. It hurt. It always hurt. It hurt when he turned away from you and it hurt when he was too blind to know he was hurting you. And it hurt when you didn't know whether or not he was hurting you because of ignorance or cruel choice.

"Amora?"

She leaned into him. "I will not tell you all of Loki's secrets."

Thor huffed a laugh. "Yes, I've learned that lesson well. But you will help me protect him?"

"Loki is my friend, Thor."

"Yes, I know."

Amora sighed. "You think me so selfish?"

Thor didn't answer.

That hurt and so she didn't speak either.

* * *

Despite both Hawkeye and Black Widow's strong and repeated insistence, Svadilfari had chosen to linger in the tower after the other's disappeared into the infirmary. The three were waiting on the floor beneath Tony's penthouse suite where they often gathered. The Vanir was leaning against the wall, staring out the window as the mortals kept their eyes on him.

"You know, Thor isn't going to be very keen on accepting your help after what you've done to his brother," Natasha said, breaking the silence.

"It is the All-father's order that has me on this trail, not the crown prince," Svadilfari replied.

"Pretty sure Odin didn't want you to kill, Loki," Clint said.

"I would not have killed him."

"Wouldn't want him maimed either."

"You know little about the All-Father," Svadilfari replied quietly, smiling. Raising his voice slightly, he added, "It does not matter what befalls the second prince as long as I return him after."

Natasha faced him full on, then, eyes narrowed. "I know what you did," She told him. "Bet Thor would be pretty interested in knowing, too."

Svadilfari gave her another smile. "Oh?" He turned to face her as well. "And what is it that I have done? And when have I done it?"

"What you did to Loki," Natasha clarified.

The smile never left his face as his eyes met Natasha. "Is that so? Did he tell you?"

"No one had to tell me."

"Would you like to know?" He questioned as he walked toward her. "The second prince has such lovely eyes. Beautiful when filled with fear. So large and imploring. One of the greatest talents of Asgard, weak beneath me, unable to fight." He paused as he stood before Natasha, leaning down over her. "And he was so young, so helpless, no where to go, nowhere to run." Svadilfari reached out to stroke Natasha's cheek. "Just like you, small one. I bet your eyes could do beautiful things with fear. Won't you try for me?" He licked his lips.

He gasped suddenly as an arrow shot threw his shoulder and looked up to see Hawkeye notching another as he aimed higher. "Next one goes through your eye," He growled out.

Svadilfari glanced back toward Natasha before taking a few steps back. "You are just like the second prince, small one. You are wanting, just as he was. The similar eyes. A great well of strength, but oh, crack open the shell and such delicacies underneath." He visibly shivered. "I paid Asgard in promises to have him. Who would I have to pay for you? Shield?"

"GET OUT!" Clint yelled.

Svadilfari gave him another glance before turning back to her. He smiled, charming and sincere, before he disapepared.

Reluctantly, checking around the room first, Clint lowered his bow. "You alright, Nat?"

She nodded. "He didn't get to me."

"We should probably talk to Thor..." Clint noted.

"We'll give him some time to deal with Loki first," She told him.

"Yeah," He nodded. "That... was that... did he say..."

"Yes."

* * *

Tony was really at a loss at what to do with this situation. He wanted to comfort Loki and to question him with near equal fervor. He wanted to apologize for having looked through his magical diary boxes without permission, but also beg to keep them. He didn't exactly do any of those things, though. What he did do was to stand beside Loki where he was still sitting a top his work table and the god leaned against him slightly.

"Take your pick," Loki sighed. Tony looked at him with slight confusion and Loki went on. "Your most pressing question. Pick it, ask it, and I shall answer it."

He knew what he should ask. He should ask about whatever mysterious evil was coming to attack that Loki had spent so much time hinting about. That wasn't what he wanted to ask, though. His most pressing question had been bothering him since the day after the invasion.

"How were there so few casualties during the invasion?" Tony asked.

Loki looked at him with surprise, clearly not having expected that question. Slowly, almost in confusion, Loki answered in a matter-of-fact voice. "It was a farce."

"What?"

"A ruse. Fake." Loki told him. He looked away a moment, then added, "Mostly."

Tony angled so that he was facing Loki. "Explain that to me."

Loki frowned as he explained. "My attempt to take over Midgard was merely a ruse. A test to learn the capabilities of you Midgardians. My desire to rule this planet was all faked." Loki closed his eyes and chose to return to his previous position, lying prone over the table. "The mind control was real of course, as was the portal. They were watching, so I had to give the impression of aid, but that was mostly to trick them as well. Most of the Chitauri were fake, clones of myself that I glamoured to look like them. I let as few of them in as possible and pretended the rest, had my clones clear out the area and focus mostly on damage, not death." Loki shrugged. "I did what I could."

That... that answered most of Tony's questions. But...

"Why?" He asked. "Why fake an invasion?"

"I..."

"Yes, Loki," Thor's serious voice boomed as he entered the room. "I am interested to know this, as well."

Sitting up again, Loki avoided Thor's gaze. "I... You were not suppose to know."

"What am I not to know?" Thor demanded. "Who says you are not to tell me?" He walked toward his brother, posture half threatening.

Loki looked away, closed his eyes. His tongue was too heavy too speak, too leaden to spill Odin's secrets. There was still a loyalty in his heart. Even after all this... even after knowing that Odin would send Loki's nightmares after him.

Thor took hold of Loki's shoulders and shook him hard. "Who, Loki? You tell me!"

"Odin!" Loki yelled. His eyes widened and he looked horrified at himself for the admission, but he spoken anyway. "He told me not to tell you! He said that you were not to know." It seemed like the floodgates had opened, because words continued to spill from Loki. His eyes were large and lost, as if he didn't know what to do, how to make himself stop, and he shook slightly in Thor's hold. "Father came to me in the void, a projection, he told me to come home. He said he needed me and gave me a task. You had become so fond of Midgard and he needed to know if they would prove to be a threat. He told me to test them. He said that you were not to know of it.

"He sent me... to the Mad Titan, told me that he was plotting something and wanted to use me to lure him out. He wanted the Tesseract and he gave me the scepter and sent me to Midgard to get him for him. And he was watching me and Odin was watching, so I faked the invasion, which brought the Mad Titan out of hiding and gave the Midgardians a chance to show what they could do, and then I shut down the portal before any real damage could be done and let you capture me because I just wanted to go home and-"

"Breathe, Loki!" Tony interjected.

Loki broke off abruptly to fulfill the command, taking in a ragged breath. The breathing half dissolved into sobs, but Loki tried to pull himself back together enough to continue speaking. "I know that Odin means to leave Midgard to it's fate with the Mad Titan and it's my fault that he's coming here, the All-Father made me lure him here, so I have to... I have to stop it... somehow..." Loki's eye traveled restlessly around the room before hesitantly landing on Thor. "Do you... do you hate me?"

Thor pulled Loki into an embrace. "You know that would not make me hate you, Loki. I know that father has always asked much of you. Why would you think that I could hate you?"

Quietly, so quietly it could barely be called a whisper, Loki answered. "I am Jotunn."

Thor pulled away slowly and looked at Loki with deep confusion and disbelief. "What?"

"I am not of Asgard," Loki whispered. "After your coronation, when we journey to Jotunheim, I learned the truth. The All-Father found me there. I am jotunn."

"You... you cannot be jotunn, Loki," Thor began in reasonable tone. "Because you are my brother."

"I am not your brother," Loki whispered in heartbreak. "I am a jotunn."

"No," Thor insisted, shaking his head. "My brother is not-" And Thor stopped his statement there, but one look at Loki's face said that it was too late. The damage was done. The heartbreak on Loki's face was unbearable and Thor was almost glad when he teleported so that he would not have to see anylonger. That thought lingered but a moment before Thor was calling out loudly. "Loki!"

There was no answer and Tony didn't know what to do with this situation, either. He'd gotten a handful of answers and two dozen more questions.

"Jarvis?" Tony questioned. "Can you get a read on Loki?"

"The younger Odinson disappeared with his cohorts from the Med-bay moments ago."

Alright. That was that.

Thor was still looking at the place Loki had been a moment ago, expression distraught. Lost.

As was his normal habit lately, when something concerning Loki came up that he didn't understand, he went to the boxes. He upended the satchel's contents on the table and reached for the green box. It sort of skirted out of his hand toward the edge of the table, rather fall however, the box lengthened until it reached the floor. It widened, height increased further, until finally the box looked more like a door swung open and a replica of Loki walked out, smiling at Tony and laying hand on Thor's head.

"Thor, you big oaf! Haven't I taught you to keep your foot out of mouth yet?"

* * *

Loki, Amora, and Skurge arrived in Victor's lab, greatly disturbing Victor's work. Putting down his tools, the man was not even certain which part of the situation to address first. Normally, addressing the presence of an outsider would take precedence. Victor did not like others invading his personal space. At all. The lingering injuries that he could see on Amora were of some concern, though, and judging by how long they were gone, something had most definitely happened. Of course, Amora's unclothed state was something of a curiosity as well.

"Loki?" Amora was saying softly, trying to turn the other god to look at her. "Talk to me? What happened?" Reaching out to the god, she tried to pull him into her arms, which only resulted in the Trickster shapeshifting. Amora only blinked at suddenly holding an armful of serpent as it coiled up and around her. The look on her face was almost a pout.

Deciding that they were obviously well enough, if not all well, Victor decided priorities came first. "Who is this?" He demanded, gesturing at Skurge.

Amora looked surprised to find they were in his lab of all places, but didn't hesitate in answering. "This is Skurge," She told him. "He is my champion. He does anything and everything I ask of him."

"A servant?" Victor questioned.

"If needed," Amora replied. "A body guard, mostly. He fights for me. Always and no matter what."

Victor narrowed his eyes at that, though she likely couldn't tell beneath the mask. "I fight for you."

Amora shrugged. "He fights for only me."

"You mean to say that I am not good enough to protect you?" He demanded.

Amora frowned. "You are the only one insinuating anything in this conversation, Victor."

"And you expect me to allow him to stay?" Victor asked. "You think you can invite whomever you like into my home without my say?"

"What say you then?" Amora questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "You believe I will stay someplace where my champion cannot reach me? You believe I will stay where I am not protected?"

"You are protected!" Victor shouted.

"He is my protector!" Amora yelled back.

"You had no need of him before!"

"But I did," Amora said firmly. "And now he is here."

"What has happened then that you suddenly need this one to protect you?" Victor demanded. "What has kept you away so long and injured you so? What made you go after him in the first place?"

"Svadilfari attacked," She answered.

"And did he protect you from that?" He asked, grabbing her hand holding up her wrist where the marks from her bindings were still visible.

Amora pulled her arm away. "No," She whispered. "But neither did you."

"You think I cannot!" He yelled.

"I think that you are mortal," She said. "And Skurge is not. He can-"

"Doom is no mere mortal!" He yelled, taking a threatening step forward, but was held by Skurge. He pulled himself out of Skurge's grip, glaring at the man before turning back to Amora. "I could destroy this creature in an hour."

"And what would that prove?" Amora asked him. "It is no great feat to destroy allies! Enemies, Victor, that is what you should worry over. You waste away here while Loki and I protect you, you and Raven both, and what have you done that we could not do on our own? What use have you been?"

"I've given you a home!"

"We could have such a thing anywhere! We do not need to be here! Loki and I both have places other than this we could be."

"Then why return here at all?" Victor demanded. Amora's eyes blazed for a moment and she turned away, but Victor grabbed her arm before she do anything else. "I will tell you why you are here," He said in stern voice, tugging roughly on her arm until she turned to face him. "You return here because you know that you are safe. Nothing has ever breached these walls and come for you, has it?"

"Because Loki and I-"

"Has it?" He demanded louder.

"No!" She replied.

"You go after this creature and return to me bruised, fearful, and wonder why I do not want him to stay? Whatever you believe he is good for, he obviously has not done it. Why would I need a useless thing such as he in my home?"

"He is not for you, Victor!"

"He is in my home."

"He is not yours! He is mine! He is the only thing that is mine and you will not take that away from me!" Amora screeched.

"You do not need him," He insisted.

"Then what do I need, Victor? If you have so many answers, tell me what I need? What will make me feel safe? What will fight for me? What will worship me if not this creature that I own utterly?"

"What do you believe I am trying to do?" He demanded.

Amora took a step back at that. She looked away. "You do not understand..."

"Do not tell me what I do not understand," He commanded. "You think you can reside in my home, ensconced in my walls, and I not understand what you, what all of you, need! Mystique fears being used, being taken away, being weak, so I show her unflinching authority and she knows that I am a greater fear than any other and she knows she is safe from all else. Loki needs chaos, he needs a home. He needs these walls and his ploy with the Avengers and to change the way another creature exist in this world just so he can feed of the possibility of the change. You need the attention of powerful people, their loyalty. You need Loki to give you the time of day, Mystique's hero worship, you need to go out every other night and drown yourself in bodies and lust and false praise."

Amora's face flushed slightly and she took a step away from him, avoiding his gaze. "How do you know..."

"You think that I do not watch every single one of you?" He questioned. "That I do not pay attention to what you do when you wander Latveria? That I do not study what you do inside this castle?" He took a step forward and grabbed both her wrist and her eyes flew to where she could see his own through the mask. "You have my attention, Amora. What more do you need?"

"You won't give me what I need," She told him.

"Do not deign to tell me what I will and will not do."

"You could never give me what I need," She said again. "You do not even take off your armor."

Taking that as a challenge, he released one of her wrist and removed his mask, starring at her intently. "You are at fault if you need something here that you do not have," He informed her. "Perhaps if you learned to ask, you would get it." After taking a detailed look at her body, admiring and cataloging injuries both, he stepped away, replacing the mask on his face. "You may keep your pet if you so wish. But do not ever think that I cannot provide for my guest, Amora."

Victor returned to his work after that and Amora was left staring at the mortal for a long time after. Finally, the snake draped over her body slithered up and bit her ear, bringing her out of her trance. She glared at it, but turned on her hell to go to her room, motioning for Skurge to follow. Despite his having turned away from her, she could still feel the mortals attention on her and it made her shiver.


	20. Thor Info-dumps

The fake Loki was smiling widely at Thor as he sat on one of the work tables and pets his head, murmuring both insult and sentiments both. "Oh brother, you are such a fool. You mistake your head for Mjolnir if I wasn't around to help you."

It was a bizarre sight. Thor had his arms wrapped around the fake Loki's waist as he tried to stutter apologies. "I did not mean to say..."

"Yes, I know," Fake Loki nodded. He spoke softly to his brother, but a large smile was on his face.

"You will always be my brother!" Thor told him, distress in his voice.

"Yes, I'm sure," Fake Loki replied with same levity as earlier. "My brother is the paramount of strength and making and an ass of himself."

"So... this is weird," Tony said.

Fake Loki smiled at him. "Is it?"

"A little." Tony replied.

"Did you prefer when I was a magpie?"

"It was less confusing," Tony answered.

Fake Loki smirked. "Thor is used to this. He makes a mess of things quite often, you know, and I am not here to comfort him. Or scold him. He needs both. He breaks everything-"

"Aren't you being a little hard on him?" Tony asked.

"Yes," He said, still smiling widely. "But he wants me to scold him, so it's fine. He hurt his brother and so he should be hurt."

"That sounds more like opinion than truth," Tony pointed out.

"I'm Loki's truth and no one else's," He said. "In a way, that makes me opinion. But I'm being rather nice. I could be cruel, if you rather, and tell you all how it is that Loki feels." He reached out for the red box that practically jumped into his hand, then tossed in to the ground. Like the green box had done, it expanded and rose until it was the shape of a large coffin.

Thor's voice, sounding much younger, floated from the opening coffin door. "I shall slay them all!" An imitation of Thor strode out. "More tricks brother?" The fake Thor looked down slightly on the fake Loki.

"Loki," The real Thor said softly. "Enough."

"Is it enough?" Fake Loki asked.

"Know your place, brother!" The fake Thor yelled.

"But wait, the red box is lies," Tony objected.

"Lies told to Loki," Thor spoke up. "My lies."

The Fake Loki waved his hand and the other Thor returned to his coffin. Not Loki turned to Tony. "He always does this, you see, hurt Loki. I rather hate that about him." Thor made a pained noise in the back of his throat, but the fake Loki ignored him. "He is too abrasive and belittles Loki, but Loki loves him. But Loki also loves Odin, who gives him away to monsters." He shrugged, as if to say 'What can you do?'

"I'm missing something here," Tony said.

"Yes."

Tony frowned at the fake Loki. "What's a Yoen?"

"Jotunn," Fake Loki corrected.

"Yeah, that."

"They are monsters," Thor explained solemnly. "Or, that is what I thought. Asgard has been to war with them many times."

Fake Loki gestured to the green box, still coffin shaped. "Go on." Tony reached into the coffin and pulled out a large box. "We have stories about them. The Jotunn, Frost Giants. Beast and savages, all."

"And you are one of them?" Tony questioned.

"Loki is."

"Not Asgardian."

"You're starting to get there."

"This is complicated," Tony said. He turned to Thor. "So Loki just told you that he's a Frost Giant and you just said that a Frost giant can't be your brother."

Thor nodded, looking very sad as he did so.

"That... kinda sucks," Tony replied, trying not to be too harsh.

Fake Loki laughed as he began to pet Thor's head again. "Indeed! This day has been both hero and heart breaker to Loki!"

"You're kind of an asshole," Tony commented.

He shrugged. "I'm Loki."

"We should probably talk to the others," Tony sighed. "They probably wonder what's going on."

Loki nodded, jumping down off the table. He walked toward the coffin before turning to face Tony. "I don't want to talk to those others." His expression became a stern glare. "I don't like them and I won't talk to them and I'll hurt them if they bother me."

"Alright, I get it," Tony said.

"Don't show them my book, either," Fake Loki called. "Nothing that comes from these boxes are for them." With that, he walked back into the coffin, which closed immediately after and shrunk in size.

Tony turned to Thor. "You alright, Big Guy?"

"I do not know," Thor said. "I do not know how to reconcile my brother being..." He shook his head. "I always knew that Loki was different, but he cannot be... a jotunn. They are suppose to be monsters."

"Then maybe they aren't monsters."

Thor only looked more confused at this. "I simply do not know what to think. I love Loki, still, of course! But I..."

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Tony questioned.

Thor sighed. "You do not understand."

"Maybe you're right, but I don't think you understand either. He's your brother, right? Shouldn't that be more important?" Then Tony just shrugged. "But what do I know? I've never had a brother."

* * *

Steve and Bruce were already waiting with Natasha and Clint when Tony and Thor arrived. Natasha's eyes narrowed on them as soon as they stepped off the elevator. "What happened?" She demanded.

Tony shrugged. "Loki got upset and left."

"He's not the only one who left."

Tony shrugged again. "Didn't expect him to leave Blondie here after what happened, did you?"

Natasha turned back to Steve and Bruce. "What happened in the Med-bay?"

Steve blushed and looked away. "N-nothing!"

Bruce responded much more calmly. "Do you think we did something to make her leave?" He asked.

"I'm just trying to gather all the facts," Natasha told them.

"Here's a fact," Tony spoke up. "That Saddle guy's a creep."

"Agreed," Clint spoke up. "You know what he said to Nat?"

"He was still here?" Tony questioned.

"Doesn't matter," Natasha interrupted. "He's gone now."

"Only because I shot him with an arrow!" Clint objected.

"What did he say to you?" Steve demanded, protectively stepping closer to her.

"He's been playing nice with so far," Bruce commented. "What made him go after you?"

"I told him I knew what he did to Loki," Natasha answered. Both her face and tone were blank, but the others exchanged worried looks regardless.

"What?" Thor demanded. "What did he do to Loki?"

Natasha turned her blank expression to Thor. "You really don't know?" She asked him. "Even after what we saw earlier?"

"Do not speak in riddles!" Thor yelled in frustration.

Natasha sighed. She moved to stand before Thor, placing a comforting hand on his arm. She affected a softer expression and tone as she answered. "Thor... Svadilfari raped Loki."

Thor looked absolutely stricken and varying amounts of surprise flit across the expressions of the others. "What?" Thor's voice was barely a rasp. "Loki never... no one ever..."

"Odin knew about it," She added.

"No!" Thor yelled, but there was little strength to his voice.

"Think about it, Thor," Natasha told him calmly. "Svadilfari made ludicrous demands before he saw Loki, and then suddenly all he wanted was to spend uninterrupted days with him. You said yourself that Loki was forbidden from returning until the job was done or the deadline met and Svadilfari confirmed it. When Svadilfari asked for access to Loki and Odin agreed, he wasn't asking for an aide or an apprentice and Odin knew it. Loki knew that Odin knew, that's why he didn't say anything. He probably realized it when he realized that he couldn't go home."

"Father would not!" Thor yelled, but his voice became weak, almost a sob. "Father would not do that to Loki."

"You said that there were a lot of things Odin had Loki do that he didn't talk about," Natasha said.

Thor shook his head. "No... That's... He wouldn't..."

"Like he wouldn't use his child to lure out a dangerous mad man or attack another planet as a test?" Tony questioned angrily. "I don't think we can put anything past your father."

Thor was quiet at that, but Bruce spoke up. "What are you talking about Tony?"

"Just that I finally have my answers about why the invasion happened," Tony told them, moving to one of the couches to sit. Slowly, the others followed him, picking places to sit until they were all in something of a circle around him. Natasha chose an armchair that faced Tony nearly head on, Clint sitting on the back on the chair with his feet on one of the armrest. Bruce sat beside Tony and Thor and Steve sat on the other couch.

"What happened?" Natasha asked, focus on Tony. She was in full spy mode, trying to gather all the information.

"Loki told us that the reason he invaded was on Odin's order," Tony explained.

"What?" Several voices exclaimed at once.

"Here, Jarvis? Play the footage of Loki talking about the invasion."

"Yes, sir."

The television turned on, showing the footage from the security cameras. They all watched Loki's part explanation, part confession, part freak out, starting with him asking Tony what he wanted to now and ending with his asking Thor if he hated him, then the screen returned to black.

Clint's voice was quiet when he said, "He could be lying." It was objection for the sake of objection, though. There was no conviction to the words.

"He isn't," Natasha said confidently. "I know what someone looks like when they're lying."

"You didn't know he was lying about the invasion," Tony pointed out.

"I knew he was lying," She said. "I was just wrong about the lie."

"I can't believe this," Steve said, shaking his head. "We've been helping Svadilfari to find Loki. He had us make a device to track him! We've been helping a rapist to stalk his victim." Steve looked slightly sick at the thought.

"And when that didn't work he used one of his friends as bait," Bruce added. He had taken off his glasses and was cleaning them, a strained expression on his face as he subtly tried to control his breathing.

"How could your father send someone like that after his own son?" Steve asked.

"If he sold his son out in the first place, it isn't that big of a surprise," Natasha said. She turned her gaze back to Thor. "We need to know what happened on Asgard. All this time, we've been assuming that Loki is a threat, but if he was following Odin's command last time..." She shrugged.

"No," Thor shook his head. "Loki is doing this against father's wishes. He is trying to redeem himself."

"How? By working with villains?" Natasha questioned.

"We haven't actually seen anything that points to Loki working with Doom," Tony said.

"Where was Loki before he came to Earth?" Natasha asked.

"The void," Thor said. "There was... we fought and the Bifrost was destroyed. Loki... Loki fell into the void beneath Asgard, he was swallowed by it. We thought that he was dead..."

"Except Odin," Natasha pointed out. "Loki said he told him to come home."

Thor looked pained as he continued to explain. "My Father can see much from his throne and he has command of great power. He must have found Loki while looking from the throne and found a way to send a projection of himself to speak to Loki."

"What happened after you took Loki back to Asgard?"

"Father wanted to speak with him alone. After a week, he was banished to a cell and forbidden visitors. Father said that Loki needed time to come to his senses. Then..." Thor hesitated a moment, debated, then decided to go on. "Eventually, my mother released Loki."

Natasha kept a blank face as she thought this over, but the others looked shocked. Except for Tony, who had already been told. "You're mother?" Steve asked. "But... why?"

"I do not know," Thor answered. His voice was thick with sorrow. "I have been in the dark over much of this."

"Odin asked him to do something else," Natasha said calmly.

"What?" Thor questioned.

"You said that Odin often has Loki do things?"

"Yes," Thor nodded. "Loki is... Loki has always been better at deception, moving through the shadows. I never had a talent for words or stealth, so there were many things of that nature that father asked of Loki. Most of them were to be kept secret, but Loki used to tell me of them anyway. He stopped though."

"So, what? Loki was the only one that could do covert missions in Asgard?" Clint questioned.

Thor nodded. "If force could not be used, then Loki was most often sent to take care of task in a different manner."

"It was a separation tactic," Natasha said suddenly. They all turned to look at her and she went on. "It's a common way to manipulate, divide and conquer. Odin knew that Loki would confide in you and he had to find a way to put a stop to it, have Loki do something cruel that he knew you would disapprove of or something so humiliating he wouldn't want to talk about it. That was probably why Odin agreed to let Svadilfari have him. To separate you two." Natasha crossed her legs as she thought on this more in depth. "Loki said that Odin didn't want you to know and he asked if you hated him. Why would he be afraid to talk to you?" Natasha's gaze pierced into Thor as she watched him.

"We... we fought, before he fell from the Bifrost," Thor said quietly. "He tried to eliminate all of Jotunnheim. I didn't know why, at the time, but he said that he had found out that he was one of them just before." Thor paused. "I am stating things out of order. Jotunn attacked during my coronation. I was furious and I took Loki, Sif, and The Warriors Three with me on a mission to slay them all, which resulted in my banishment. I did not know what happened during that time, except that now Loki tells me he learned of his true heritage. Loki sent the destroyer to Earth and almost killed me, then when I returned to Asgard, he was trying to destroy Jotunnheim. I tried to stop him, we fought, and he fell."

"So, you and Loki had a fight that ended with Loki alone and stranded in space," Natasha began. "Then your father tells him to come home and tells him to give himself over to someone more powerful and to attack Earth, all after Loki thinks that all of Asgard hates him for being a monster. If Loki was willing to give himself to..." She looked at Thor.

"The Mad Titan," Thor said.

"Right. Loki was willing to give himself to someone more powerful than he was, to attack Earth even though that meant fighting you, again. There is no way Odin planned to have Loki come back just to put him in jail. He wanted something from Loki. Something more than testing earth, that was just conveniently on the way. Whatever he wanted Loki to do, he was so upset when he wouldn't do it that he locked Loki in prison, and Loki was so against it that despite everything, he fled to Earth." She locked eyes with them all. "We need to find out what Odin wanted."

"Loki doesn't seem keen on talking to us," Tony said.

"He seemed alright talking to you," Natasha commented.

Tony just shrugged.

"You believe my father would have Loki attack Midgard again?" Thor asked.

"He did it once," She answer.

"But that was not a real attempt."

"But Odin didn't tell Loki to fake the invasion. He dropped him into the hands of someone who very much wanted to invade earth and he's planning on leaving us to fend for ourselves after having us get his attention," Natasha spoke up. "No offense, but I don't think I have much faith in your father's plans."

The others nodded.

"This is... this is just wrong," Clint said. "Odin is a crap father."

Thor rose from his seat. "I... need to be alone," He said. "I need to think."

Tony rose just after. "I'm going back to the lab," He said. "I can't..." He shook his head as he left the room.

They were all quiet as Thor and Tony left the room. After a moment, Clint made a disgusted noise. "This is sick," He announced. "This whole situation."

Bruce was fumbling with his glasses again, trying to calm down before he finally just stood up. "I think I need some air."

"You alright, doctor?" Natasha answered.

Bruce let out a heavy sigh. "No. No, I'm not. Thinking about this... what he did... and we helped him get to Loki! And who knows what he did to Amora while he was with her?"

Steve paled further at the thought, but Natasha spoke up. "I don't think he would have done anything to her." Bruce sent her a frustrated look, but was clearly waiting for her to say more. "He's fixated on Loki. He wants to conquer someone strong and I don't think, by Asgardian standards, Amora is all that strong. He just wanted her as bait." She looked down. "Even when he threatened me, he said that it was because I reminded him of Loki."

Bruce shook his head. "I need some air." He went to the elevator and left.

Steve moved to sit beside Natasha. "You know we won't let anything happen to you," He told her.

"I'm not worried about Svadilfari," She replied. "I'm not a priority to him."

"Even so, you don't have to worry." Steve placed a hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

* * *

Clint was alone on the common floor of the tower. Natasha left to return to Shield, mostly likely to update them on what had happened so far and Steve had left with her, not wanting her to go alone. Tony had retreated to the lab. Clint was staring at a card, memorizing the numbers and wondering if he should call.

He had considered telling Natasha, but he hadn't really known what he would say. He didn't want this to get back to Shield and he knew that she would be suspicious of it. Suspicious of him if he told her not to tell them. It was only a whim that had him thinking about it. The thoughts about Loki made him think of his sort of advocator.

He had thought about whether or not to talk to this Skye person for a while now, but now he thought his mind was made up. He took a breath before placing the call.

"Hello?"

"Can you contact him?" Clint asked first.

The girl seemed caught off guard at that. "What? But I'm not working for anyone?"

"I didn't ask that," He replied in frustration. "Can you contact him?"

There was silence for a moment. "This is Hawkeye, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you want to?" She asked.

"I want to..." Clint wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He wanted answers. He wanted to interrogate the hell out of Loki. He wanted to yell at him. A small part of him even wanted to apologize, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. Well, they had all lied about what being controlled by him was like, but he refused to feel bad about that. "I want to talk to him."

"I don't know if that'll be possible," She answered slowly. "I can't exactly tell him what to do and it will be a while before I can..."

"But you can make it happen?" He pressed.

"For you, I could," she answered. "If any of the others were to call, I wouldn't be able to."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're an Avenger," She told him. "He kinda has a soft spot for you guys."

Hawkeye wasn't sure what to make of that. He changed the subject instead. "You're doing this for him, aren't you?"

"Not exactly," Skye answered. "Listen, I don't like Shield. I don't like places like Shield. And I certainly don't like the things that they get their hands on. If it were up to me, I might want them to be torn apart, but that's not what I'm trying to do. He doesn't think that would be a good move and I respect his opinion. So instead, I just want to put a dent in the dangerous things they get their hands on. It's obvious that those things shouldn't be in the wrong hands, but I don't think that makes Shield the right ones."

"And that's why you want us?" He asked.

"Look, don't get the wrong idea. I don't want the stuff for myself and Loki didn't give me the information on you."

"Yeah, yeah," He waved off her concern. "Look, I want to talk him. I'm not turning you over to Shield or whatever, just... make this happen."

"Why do you want to?"

Clint paused a moment as he thought that over. "I don't know yet," He answered honestly. "I just know that I need to."

"I'll do what I can," She answered. Then she hung up.

Clint took a deep breath. He wondered what the hell he was doing and couldn't seem to come up with an answer.

* * *

Loki was sulking. That was the only explanation that Amora could come up with, as he hadn't spoken to her since they returned from the tower. He also had not left her side.

As soon as she left Doom's lab, she had gone straight to her room, Loki still wrapped around her in his serpent for and Skurge following behind. She'd decided to soak in the baths, removing what blood and dirt was left staining her and he simply shifted to the form of a bird to avoid the water, perched on the shower curtain.

It had continued from there. He perched on her shoulder when she later left the room, slept in her bed in the form of a wolf, only to morph into a serpent again when she woke and sought to leave the bed. It carried on that way the entire day and Amora was getting tired of not knowing what the Trickster's problem was.

Doom had yet to leave his lab, so she had to go there to find him. He would likely be displeased with her still, since Skurge remained on her heel as ventured to see him. He didn't even look from her work when she arrived.

"Where is Raven?" Amora decided to ask first. She hadn't heard anything from the mutant since her return.

"Away," Doom answered dismissively.

"Where?" She repeated.

"Some mutant haven," He replied dismissively. "She will stay there until we get this taken care of."

"Oh?" Amora raised an eyebrow, but the man hadn't deigned to look at her at and did not see.

"Yes," He replied. "I will have her retrieved once I have dealt with the beast that haunts you both."

Amora was quiet at that, not knowing how to respond. She felt uneasy with his dismissiveness toward her, not that it was usually so much different. Last night was the abnormality, feeling his full and undivided attention on her. The memory made her shiver. Doom was a devoted man, but that devotion was not usually aimed at her. Not strictly aimed at her, anyway. Truthfully, with the interest Loki had taken in him, she hadn't thought to try and have the man's full attention. She supposed her mind was too occupied on Thor. It usually was and it might always be.

It suddenly occured to her that Doom, much as he said last night, was the kind of man to give his guest whatever they desired. If he felt like it, that is. She suddenly wondered if she gave the word, if she could have Thor in her grasp, after all.

"Did you want something, Enchantress?" He still wasn't looking at her. Skurge's eyes were on her, as always. Worshiping her, loving her. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

"Look at me," She demanded in a soft voice.

Without comment he stopped what he was doing and turned to her. There was no fanfare to it, no complaints about her interrupting his work. He simply watched her, waited. One mortal shouldn't make her feel so powerful. She must be getting weak.

"Loki hasn't spoken to me since we left the Avengers company," She told him. His eyes went to the serpent coiled tightly about her body, but his gaze went right back to hers after. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

Doom made a noncommittal sound in reply. He took a few steps toward her. "You look unwell," He said.

She blinked in surprise at that. She had thought that she might be getting weak, even felt it, but she hadn't expected it to be so visible. She looked away. She rather wished that Mystique was around. Even if the girl somewhat favored Loki, she absolutely worshiped them both.

Doom took another step toward her. "What do you need?" He asked her.

What did she need?

Loki might hate her for this.

She tried to removed the serpent from her body, only for it to take the form of a bird and fly off. It landded on the table, facing her, gave a sad chip in her direction before flying away. She wondered if he knew. Somehow, Loki had always known before.

"Thor," She told him, at first looking away, but then meeting Doom's eyes. "I need Thor."

The man nodded. "Then you shall have him." Doom returned to the work table, obviously believing their interaction to be over. She watched him a moment longer and he spoke. "May I borrow your pet, Enchantress?"

"Skurge?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I have something that I need to test," He answered. "I shall make certain he is returned to you after."

Amora's eyes went to Skurge, looking him over. She had made certain to heal him completely over the course of the day. Even though Loki insisted that he was poor healer, she had woken up fully healed, and had thus focused her energy on getting Skurge back to fighting form. She was mildly suspicious of whatever Doom would do to him, though. "He will not be returned dead, will he?"

"That is not my intention," He replied.

Decades of friendship with Loki made her narrow her eyes at the mortal at that answer. "I will not have him dead," She told him forcefully.

Doom let out a put upon sigh. "As you will," He said.

Still vaguely worried, she nodded to Skurge and he went to Doom's side.

"You do not need to remain," Doom said. "Perhaps you should put your efforts into learning what ails the Trickster," He suggested.

She glared at him at the obvious dismissal, but turned on her heel regardless. She was just barely able to restrain herself from destroying something for the slight.

* * *

Having surveillance all over his castle made locating the Trickster quiet a bit easier than it might have been otherwise. He waited until the little bird was asleep before approaching it, shoving it into the rune inscribed cage. Loki woke quickly upon imprisonment, the runes glowing at the bottom of the cage as he tried and failed to escape using magic, angrily chirping and flapping his wings.

"Enough of this foolishness, Trickster! Speak! Or I shall leave you here to decorate my study."

Loki yelled avian abuse a moment longer before finally giving in and speaking. "Release me this instant!"

"I shall release you," Doom began, "When you explain what has you moping about."

"I am not moping!" Loki yelled, wings flapping angrily.

"Then what do you call it, Trickster?" Doom questioned.

"I do not, for I am not doing anything out of the ordinary."

Doom stared at the cage for a moment before lifting it up and attacking it to a low hanging hook. He took a few steps back and sat in an armchair, staring down at the magpie. They stared each other down for a few moments before Doom decided to speak. "Amora has asked me to acquire the Thunder God for her."

"What?' Loki exclaimed.

"It occurred to me that you may have some objection to this," Doom went on. "Therefore, I am going to keep you in this cage until after I have acquired him." Loki made another avian noise of objection, but Doom ignored it. "You clearly expressed that you have no desire for me to kill him, so I assume you have some wish for him as well?"

"A man such as you should know better than to assume, Victor," Loki snapped.

Doom silently watched the god for a moment before speaking further. "Amora told me of what has happened. I am in the final stages of ridding us of that problem, rest assured. I have not come to a conclusion of how to handle the God of Thunder. I would know what you want before I make a decision."

"It does not matter what I want," Loki spat. "He does not want a creature such as I as kin. I knew that he would not. I am a beast. A monster in pretender flesh. In time he will kill me and be done with it. Unless he chooses to first drag me back to the All-Father."

"Your derision speaks of need," Doom replied. "You would have his approval?"

"I do not need his approval!" Loki snapped.

"His affection?" Doom concluded. "And so both gods in my care desire the same thing."

"I desire nothing!"

"Once Amora has done as she desires with him, I will give him over to you," Doom concluded. He stood and went to the door.

"Release me at once!" Loki yelled.

"You were content enough before, Trickster. There will be no escape for you. I know not what has upset you this time, but this god has been a problem for far too long regardless. I will have it resolved one way or the other. Whether than means leaving him to the Enchantress' mercy or mine, that is up to you."

The bird was quiet as Doom left. Good. He would not have such problems lingering. Doom had no time for the petty games of gods. They would find resolution or he would force an end.


	21. All Your Screen Time Are Belong To Doom

Loki was angry with Doom.

"Amora is going to kill you."

Correction, the trickster had been angry with Doom, but he seemed to have calmed down and accepted the circumstances since Doom placed the cage in his lab. The magpie was preening it's feathers, seeming unconcerned with what was happening outside it's cage. It was rather convenient that the god needed little to no tending, since he required neither food, nor sleep, nor released any waste to speak of. He wondered about the possibility of keeping Amora in similar accommodations. She would, of course, require a much larger cage and their would be difficulty in getting her into a space caved with enough runes to actually hold her power in check, yet be subtle enough she would not notice before hand.

"She will get over it," Doom replied absentmindedly. He was putting away and sterilizing his instruments. Placing the syringes back in their cases, making notes of the required dosages, and gathering ingredients into the needed locations. Skurge was still mostly conscious a top the work table. "How similar is the physiology of this creature and an Asgardian?"

"Very," Loki replied. "Skurge is only half Asgardian, so less powerful than Thor, but similar enough." Loki stopped his grooming a moment to look at Doom. "That new creation of yours nearly killed him."

"Yes, that was the goal," Doom said.

"To kill him?"

"To nearly kill him," Doom corrected. "That is the solution and destruction to the problem of Svadilfari."

Loki stared at him a moment, but the small avian body could still be seen shivering. Doom removed one of his gauntlets and reached into the cage, stroking his feathers. Loki moved away from the hand and attacked the mortals fingers hard enough to draw blood. "Do not treat me as if I am some pet!"

Doom chuckled. "Of course."

"You are enjoying this!" Loki accused. "You dare mock me-"

"Be at ease, Loki," Doom said. "There is no audience here."

"Be at ease while I am trapped in a cage by a mad man?" Loki asked, voice thick with sarcasm. "And why are you in such a good mood. You are never in a pleasant mood."

"Only because I have not made such progress in some time," Doom replied. He replaced his gauntlet and went back to stand over Skurge. "I have believe I have even found the correct combination and dosage to acquire your brother."

"And how do you intend to test that?" Loki asked. "You cannot do anything more to Skurge until he recovers from what has already been done and I know better than to take anything from you in this state, Victor."

"I will test it on Amora, of course," Doom replied easily. If this worked as well as he was expecting it to, perhaps he would put it into use more often. He could design a rather nice cage for her in the dining room, keep her in enough luxury to quell all her many complaints. Or he could keep her in his throne room.

"Of course you will."

Contemplating, both gods would make lovely accessories to his throne room. The trickster could be perched beside his throne and the goddess could be placed across from the throne. Perhaps he would outfit the magpie with similar luxuries. Something small and gold would look rather fetching against the mostly black and white feathers.

"Skurge might be inclined to do you some injury, as well."

"I do not fear the Enchantress' pet," Doom answered absently. He wondered if Mystique should have a cage as well. Would she feel left out? Would she complain? He certainly wasn't going to let her run if she decided to take issue with the decor.

"I do not feel as if you are much listening to me," Loki said.

Doom set his tools aside and looked to the cage once more. "You are complaining again. Is something the matter?"

"Other than being trapped in this cage?" Loki deadpanned.

"Does that still upset you?" Doom questioned.

"Was I suppose to get over it?"

"I assumed you had," Doom told him. He moved closer to the cage. "Do you wish to see the results of my experiment? Or shall I leave you here to watch over the Enchantress' pet?"

"Are truly going to inist on calling him that?" Loki asked. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were threatened by him, Victor."

"What need I fear from such a subservient creature?" Victor scoffed.

"What indeed," Loki replied.

Doom made a noise of displeasure. "On second thought, I shall leave you here."

"Oh, do not be cross, Victor," Loki said as the mortal left the lab. The bird's laughter followd him from the room.

* * *

Natasha sat silent in the room, watching Director Fury as he turned his back to her. She had finished appraising him of the situation as she knew it, telling him what they knew(suspected) about the invasion and about Loki. She had tried to be as thorough as possible, even though it made her distinctly uncomfortable when he demanded details related to Svadilfari.

She didn't want to admit that a part of her was beginning to sympathize with Loki. What she knew about Loki and Odin brought to mind memories of her own past with the Red Room, but she tried to put those thoughts out of her mind. She waited patiently for his reaction or his orders, whichever would come first.

"What's your assessment of the situation?" Fury asked her, but he didn't turn to her.

"The team seems sympathetic with the new information. Loki told most of this to Stark, I don't know if that was coincidence or if there was something that happened to prompt the information exchange. We also don't know anything about Loki's motivations or what he's doing. I assume that he's working with Amora, but aside from the recent incident, Loki hasn't been seen actively doing anything." Natasha said this apathetically, separating any personal feelings she may have on the matter.

Fury walked to his desk, opening one of the draws. "And what do you make of Loki?"

"We don't know what his plans are or where his loyalties lie," Natasha answered immediately. "He attacked us once on Odin's orders and we don't know that he isn't following Odin's orders now, or that he won't come back on Odin's order if he's taken back to Asgard."

Fury nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He placed a tranquilizer gun on the table before her. "These were made for taking out the Hulk. They should be strong enough to take out an Asgardian, as well."

"Sir?"

"I want Loki brought in and I don't care what you have to do to do it," Fury told her. "If you can do it without Thor knowing, all the better. I'd rather not have two Asgardians to contain, if I don't have to. The rest of the team might be blinded by their sympathies, Barton included, so keep this close to the vest."

"I understand," Natasha replied.

Fury caught her gaze and held it as he questioned, "Do you think you can do it, agent? If you think you're too close to this, I can appoint someone else to the task."

"I'll take care of it," She assured him. She couldn't afford to sympathize with Loki. Her loyalty wasn't actively being questioned as Clint's were, but everyone knew that he was her partner and that their loyalties lied with each other. That meant everyone was waiting either for him to turn her away from Shield or for her to pull him back in. She couldn't afford to be questioned when her loyalty was so tightly tied to his.

"Good," He told her. "Dismissed."

* * *

Doom had a lot of work to get done and he finally had the time to get it done. His guest, no matter how pleasurable their company, often caused him to be distracted from his work. Even if, at this moment, his work primary involved seeing to their needs and desires, he still didn't like all the interruptions.

Carefully, he arranged Amora's prone body a top her bed in as comfortable position as he could manage. His drug had worked beautifully, knocking her out within minutes of her ingesting it. He set the empty wine glass on the bedside table. He had an estimation of how long it was likely to work and he would usually take the time to study it's effects more in depth, but he felt in something of a hurry. The goddess was looking weaker than she had at any time under his care and it did cause him some amount of worry. He had already studied the effects it had on Enchatress's pet. That would have to be well enough.

He returned to his lab. Loki was speaking to the pet as he struggled against the restraints. "Calm down, Skurge."

"Who knows what he is doing to her!" Skurge roared.

"You honestly think Amora would be endangered by a mortal?" Loki snorted, the sound very strange from the avian form.

"Look at what he's done to you!"

"You think that I could not get free of this enchantment if I so chose?" Loki asked.

"If you can so easily break free, why do you not?" Skure demanded.

Loki seemed unconcerned by the question. He began to pick and preen at his feathers. "Perhaps I am luring him into a false sense of security."

"Perhaps you are as much a liar as always," Skurge replied.

"Hmm. You'll never know, will you," Loki answered.

Doom chose that moment to walk fully into the room, ignoring the conversation completely. "I was hoping you would still be incoherent so that I could release you," He commented idly. He reached for the substance he'd used earlier, but a much smaller dose. "I will release you once you are more agreeable. I expect that you will do your job and look after your mistress. She is rather exposed at the moment."

"I take it your concoction worked?" Loki questioned.

"Yes. She is resting as we speak," Doom answered as he forced the syringe into Skurge's arms, watching as the fight slowly drained out of him. Once he was certain the drug was taking effect, he began to put away his implements again. "I am going to be away to get this business taking care of."

"And you're going to leave me in a cage while you do so?" Loki questioned.

"The castle will not be left undefended, of course," Doom told him. "Aside from magical defenses, some of which you yourself have contributed, there will be bots left here in case there is trouble. There should not be, but you gods seem to attract... something, no matter what."

"I take offense," Loki called out.

"You may," Doom replied. "I should not be long. A day at most. Amora should be out no more than a few hours at most." He went to press a few buttons on one of his computers as he went on. "Where would you like to be left?"

Loki sighed. "The dinning room. As least there is good scenery to be had."

"You complain, but I rather think you are fond of that cage," Doom mused.

"I rather think you wish me to pluck your eyes out with this beak," Loki replied.

"I will leave something for you. Dried fruit perhaps?"

"If you treat me as a pet once more I will stuff you into this cage, Victor."

Doom made a noise in reply as he finished his typing on the computer. "I may decide to go by Shield and get a sample of Extremis if I've the time."

"Just know that I will not be able to save you if you are endangered," Loki replied.

"I would not risk myself on this venture," Doom scoffed. "That is what I have Doombots for." He lifted the cage.

"Yes, well, be on your way then."

"If you are not in a better mood upon my return, I may decide to inject you with something to force a more acceptable mood."

"I'd like to see you try, Victor."

Doom laughed as he carried the cage into the dinning room, setting it upon the table in the center of the room. "I shall return." He said, then took his leave.

Loki decided sleep would be as good a use of his time as any.

* * *

Tony couldn't concentrate. He tried to bury himself in work to get his mind off Loki, but it really wasn't working. He couldn't stop picturing the way Loki looked as he told them about the invasion. That wide eyed, sad look he'd given Thor and the dejection on his face when Thor rejected him. He couldn't stop picturing the alarm and fear on Loki's face both times he'd seen Svadilfari. First at the Stark Industries conference and then when they were at his apartment. He should have known that something was wrong when he saw that look on his face. He'd been terrified and Tony had just...

He slammed the wrench down on the table as he tried to take a deep breath. Loki had even tried to warn him, even though he was clearly afraid of being anywhere he thought Svadilfari might be.

He was worried about Loki. That's what this all boiled down to. He remembered seeing Luna watching Thor from a distance. Loki missed him and now his brother had rejected him just after facing what was probably a literal nightmare for Loki! He just... He needed to talk to him. To say something, anything, that might... fix this. Somehow.

"Jarvis, get the suit ready!" Tony called. He had to at least try to find Loki. If he was lucky, maybe he'd find him at his apartment again. That was the only starting point he really had. Maybe next time he saw him, he could slip a tracker on the guy, just so he'd be easier to keep in touch with.

* * *

Mystique was not stupid. The others seemed not to know this, as they thought not telling her that something was going on would convince her that everything was fine.

It wasn't.

She didn't know what was happening back at the castle, but she knew that something must have been going on for them not to have retrieved her. Loki or Amora would have stopped by to at least ask after her if they could and Doom had already proven that if she was away too long he would drag her back by force. Just because they didn't come for her didn't mean that she couldn't leave.

Visiting Charles had been... as awkward as she had expected. She hadn't exactly parted with them on the best of terms and even though Charles was willing as always to forgive her and make up, not everyone was. And interacting with those she had fought when she was with Magneto was not fun either. She was rather glad to be gone.

The tension between her and Cyclops was something she could do without and no amount of peace keeping by Jean could change that. Wolverine was worse, always one threat away from trying to run her through and one snarky comment away from making her try to snap his neck. She knew she couldn't kill him, but the satisfaction was enough temptation. It was a chore, more than a challenge, holding herself back from that. Wolverine really could bring out the worst in her. She outright avoided Beast. She could admit to maybe holding a grudge against him, but at least it wasn't a violent grudge.

There were a few new mutants since the last time she'd seen them, but she really tried to mingle as little as possible. Aside from talking to Charles, who she really had missed somewhat, she tried to avoid all others.

After being on the run from Magneto, she knew how to get from place to place under the radar. It took a bit of time obviously, but before long she was back in New York and back in Loki's apartment. There were still pockets of cash hidden around he place and she had no problem waiting around to find out what was happening. Nearly all of Loki's agents had tried to contact her for one reason or another and she felt that she was able to build a bit of a rapport. FitzSimmons had confirmed that there had been some sort of commotion lately, but not what it was. It was frustrating to say the least.

Of course, getting away from the Institute wasn't her only motive. After she told Charles about what happened between her and Magneto and what Loki told her Magneto's plan seemed to be, he'd seen fit to look into it as well. Charles had decided to tell her what he knew, but he wouldn't help. He seemed to have soured somewhat to the idea of helping humans, but he did say he was willing to help Loki.

She had already changed into the form of Lockley when she stepped out of Loki's apartment. She had to contact Shield and hope that they would actually be useful. She didn't really have much faith in them, but she was following Loki's lead.

"Hey, it's you!"

She stopped in her tracks for just a moment before turning to face the voice, seeing Iron Man hovering not far away.

"Little Miss Lock."

She took a haughty stance as she looked at him. "Iron Man. Odd to see you here."

"Odd to see you here, too," Tony replied. "This isn't your apartment."

Raven raised her eyebrow at that. "And how would you know that, Iron Man?"

"I met the guy that lives here. Quite recently, actually," Tony said.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why? And who do you think lives here?"

Iron Man lifted his face plate as he looked at her. "Wait, do you know him?" He asked., then he shook his head and continued. "No, of course you do. Project Lock, White Mage, the Twins, you all showed up at the same time so of course you know each other. Do you know where he is?"

"Why?"

"I wanna talk to him."

"Well you can clearly see that he's not here," Raven said, beginning to walk away. "And I don't really have time to talk. I've got things to do."

"Things like talk to Shield?" Tony questioned, following after her. She looked at him suspiciously and he took a step back. "I read your file. You've been evacuating every time Doom attacks."

"You plan on following me, don't you?" Raven asked.

"Well I really just want to know if you know where Loki is, but you didn't really answer that when I asked so..."

"If he wanted you to know where he was, don't you think he would have told you?"

"Honestly? No," Tony answered. "He isn't really straight forward that way."

"What, you think you know him?" She asked.

"I'm starting to get the idea," He answered.

"Look," She began, stopping to meet his gaze. "I don't really have time to facilitate your second date. I'm on kind of an unknown deadline here and I need to call Shield."

"By all means." Tony made an allowing gesture.

"I'm not calling them here," She rolled her eyes at his shortsightedness. "I don't want Shield agents all over my apartment."

"Yeah, that's a good point."

"Seriously, are you going to keep following me?" She asked.

"I might, yeah," Tony answered.

Raven heaved a deep sigh. She suffered Iron Man's presence as she put a bit of distance between them and the apartment, all but ignoring him as she did so. Once she felt she was significantly far away, she pulled out her phone to place the call.

"Miss Lockley," Agent Coulson answered right away. "We haven't heard from you in sometime."

"I've been a little out of the loop," She told him. "Things happen, you know how it is."

"I do," He replied.

"My warning this time is a little less precise than usual, but probably time sensitive."

"I'm listening."

"Someone's coming for Magneto," She told him. "Pretty soon, I think, but I really don't have an accurate timeline for it."

"But you know that someone's coming?" Coulson asked for clarification.

"100% certainty," She answered. "It's only the way that I obtained the information that has me uncertain about the time frame. It could be anywhere from an hour to a week, but I wouldn't really wait."

"We'll be on alert. We appreciate the warning, Miss Lockley."

"Show your appreciation by keeping Magneto locked up," She replied sharply. With that, she hung up. She spun around to face Iron Man. "If you're going to follow me, could you at least not do it in you conspicuous looking armor?"

"Alright, alright, geez," Tony replied. He was reasonably sure she didn't want to fight him, so there was no harm in it. "Where we going, anyway?"

Raven sighed heavily. "For food. I kinda just got back and I'm starving. You're paying."

"What?"

"You're Tony Stark. What else good is letting you follow me around going to do if you won't even feed me?"

It was Tony's turn to sigh. "Fine." He didn't really mind though. This would be a good way to true to pump her for information about Loki. "But I get to pick the place."

* * *

Doom makes several stops around the city before he begins his mission of collecting the Thunder God. He has plans that he must prepare for and he does not intend to be caught unaware again when one of his house is endangered.

Doom is usually one to put on a show, but he decides to forgo the spectacle. Whether he wants to or not, he's going to get a fight, but there's no reason he has to drag it out.

He goes straight to Stark Tower, not caring about being recognized or the commotion that he's causing and is surprised, by the time he gets to Stark Tower, of the small reception he receives. Thor and Hawkeye have weapons drawn and Banner is standing behind them, waiting to see whether or not he is needed before unleashing the Hulk. The rest of the Avengers are missing however.

He could fight. The archer is nothing compared to his power and he is certain that the drug he created to incapacitate Thor would work on the doctor as well. It isn't what he wants, though. What he wants is to ascertain Thor's feelings in relation to those in his house, to know whether the god will fight him giving the thunderer to his guest or give in gladly.

"I have come to have words with you, God of Thunder," He said calmly.

"What could you have to say to me, villain?" Thor asked, holding his hammer threateningly.

"Are you not concerned about what has befallen The Enchantress?" Doom asked. "Or your brother?"

"Loki?" Thor questioned. "What have you done with him, you fiend?" The god took a threatening step forward, holding Mjolnir high.

"I am willing to take you to him, if you desire," Doom told him. "If you are willing to come with me alone."

"Yeah, right," Hawkeye spoke up for the first time. "Like we're just going to believe you."

"This has nothing to do with you, archer," Doom snapped.

"Thor, this has to be a trap," Banner spoke up.

"Aye, but I have to know if Loki is alright," Thor told them, lowering his hammer. "It is my fault that he left to be found by this knave and I must make my amends. But I swear," Thor began, tightly gripping his hammer. "If any harm has come to him or I discover you a deceiver..."

"You shall see the God of Mischief," Doom replied. "Now come." Doom began to walk away from the building then and, because he did not trust the heroes not to follow him, he pressed a button to blow up a Doombot hidden nearby, distracting the heroes with the resulting chaos. Another of his Doombots sprang into action grabbing hold of Thor. The god fought of course, causing the beginnings of the Doombot's metal to bend before a needle was jabbed into his arm and he began to slow and finally pass out.

Doom didn't stop in his retreat to watch this struggle and the Doombot followed obediently after him. He made plans to further enhance construction as he left. He removed a device from the folds of his cloak as he went, checking upon the status of his home, seeing all was well. On a whim, he decided to check the tracking bracelets to check upon Mystique, surprised to find that she was nearby.

Well, he was going to keep her away until this was all over, but it would be infinitely safer to have her at home than the last known location of Svadilfari. After instructing his Doombot to head off without him he detoured to her location. He much preferred to have her home, anyway.

* * *

"I'm surprised Shield hasn't shown up by now," Raven, still in the form of Lockley, commented. She was well into her meal by now, sitting across from Tony Stark, his Iron Man suit neatly folded into it's suitcase like carrier.

"I had Jarvis block out any cameras we were in sight of along the way," Tony told her. "They can really ruin a good day."

"Most government organizations can," She grumbled.

"Sound like you have some experience with it," He commented.

"I have a lot of bad experiences to date," She returned.

Then a wall at the far side of the restaurant blew open. "Like that?" Tony asked, reaching for his suit.

"Yeah, actually," Raven sighed to herself.

As expected, people had already begun to panic and flood to the exit. When Doom appeared, Raven wasn't even certain whether to be surprised or to think that she should have expected it.

"You showing up to kidnap me is getting a little irritating," Raven told him.

Doom's response was to shoot out the cameras in the room before returning his attention to her. "There, no harm done," He told her. "Now, let us be off. Since you are here, you might as well return with me."

"So, this is weird," Tony said, already having put on his Iron Man suit and now aiming his repulsors at Doom.

Doom spared the hero barely at glance. "What is this?" He asked. "Are you on a date with Iron Man, as well?"

"What?" Tony exclaimed.

"What? No!" Raven replied. "He saw me coming out of Lunatic's place and wouldn't stop following me trying to find out where he was."

"Lunatic, huh?" Tony repeated. "Yeah, that's a good nickname for him."

Doom turned a contemplative look at the other man. "Perhaps I shall take him with me, as well. I'm sure he can be useful for something."

"Um, hello? I'm right here!" Tony yelled.

A blast came from behind him, knocking him into a wall. "Yes, I'm well aware," The voice of Doom answered from behind him. Iron Man looked between them as the second Doom approached.

"Fucking Doombots!" He swore and tried to blast the second, but the first had already approached without his having noticed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Raven called. She had shifted into her normal appearance and Iron Man was staring at her in a bit of shock.

"Mystique, right? You're... with Doom, too?" Tony asked slowly.

"Can't we just do this the easy way?" Raven asked, looking at Doom. "He already wants to see Lunatic, we don't have to have a long drawn out battle."

Doom let out a sigh. "Very well. I meant this to be a quick trip." He looked at Tony, who had recovered and held one repulsor at both Doom's, not yet sure which, if either, was the real one. "Do you wish to see the god or do you wish to continue this?"

"Um, I'm not going with you, anywhere," Tony said definitively.

Doom nodded, before the Doombot lunged at him. Tony turned his attention to that one, blasting it with it's repulsor just as Doom sent another blast at him and knocked him into another wall. Doom grabbed the front of the suit and began to slam him to the ground, hard. "You see, Mystique, this way is much faster." The arms of the Doombot closed around him and Tony struggled to get lose. "That should hold him for now."

"It won't hold him forever," Raven commented.

"No, but I have already captured Thor and I'm sure once we rejoin with the Doombot that has him, a few threats to the Asgardian should keep him in line nicely." Doom explained.

The Doombot began to follow as Doom and Raven left through the hole Doom created. "You're going to threaten harm to a god?" Raven asked.

"Or I could threaten you, if you would rather," Doom replied easily. "I do not enjoy being questioned."

"I'm just trying to help," She answered.

"Unnecessary," Doom told her. "Just because I have come to take you home does not mean that your comfort is priority during the trip. I am not above exploiting you if need be."

Raven was quiet a moment. "You're not being very comforting right now," She said quietly.

"I am not attempting to be," Doom replied. "You've already made your choice of home, have you not? I do not plan plan to pretend, Mystique."

"You let this guy talk to you like that?" Tony questioned. "Why are you allied?"

"Loki won't let anything happen to me," Raven replied promptly. She slowed slightly so that she was walking beside the Doombot, behind Doom, and dropped her voice. "He's like this, but he does want to keep us safe. I'm sure of it."

"You trust this guy?" He asked incredulously.

"I trust Loki," She replied. "Doom is... reliable."

"That sounds promising," He said sarcastically.

"That isn't the point," she snapped. "Do you want to see Loki or not? Because we're going right to him and it'll be easier not to fight. You get more leniency that way."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yes."

Tony stared at her a moment. "You haven't been brainwashed by him or something, have you?"

Raven laughed at that. "No, Doom is terrifying. I worry that I'll wake up on an operating table one day and he'll be elbow deep in my organs and I'll have to call for Loki so he can kill him and free me." She paused a moment after that, looking away. "But he's honest about what could happen to me and I've been lied to by enough people that that's important. He might hurt me... but nothing else will. In that way, I really am safe."

"And what will you do when he hurts you?" Tony questioned.

"That's when I call for Loki," She smiled. "You may think yourself an Avenger, but your wrath is nothing compared to that of a god. I've seen one of them fight on my behalf and the other come for me at my call, how can I fear anything knowing that?"

Tony was quiet at that for a moment, contemplative, before he answered. "You really trust Loki that much?"

"I've never trusted anyone more," She answered. "Maybe it's because he's a god."

"Have you decided to come quietly then?" Doom questioned. "Because I can still knock you out if you prefer."

"I'm not fighting," Tony answered. "But I've never gone anywhere quietly."


	22. Tony and Loki Get Close, Amora And Thor

"Lunatic?" Raven called as she entered the dinning room of Doom's castle. She looked around a moment before Loki called out to her and the bird cage on the table caught her attention.

"Raven?" Loki called. "What are you doing back?"

Raven opened the cage and the magpie jumped onto her finger. "I left the mutants and Doom found me in New York," She explained.

"Did your visit go well?" He inquired. The bird hopped onto her should, plucking at her hair and grooming it affectionately.

"Relatively," She sighed. "Charles agreed to help if needed, though he does wish to see you. My standing with the others is a little... tense." She paused a beat before asking, "Why were you in a cage?"

Loki made an offended noise. "Victor had me... how do you say it... grounded."

Raven laughed. "You got grounded? Why?"

"It is of little import," Loki answered.

"Funny then, that he brought you a present," Raven said nonchalantly.

"A present?" Loki questioned.

"Iron Man," She told him. "He caught me coming out of your apartment and we were together when Doom came along. Iron Man was looking for you, you know."

Loki changed into the form of Luna, expression startled. "He brought...! Of course he did. Anything to keep me from leaving," She grumbled. She stroked Raven's hair absently a moment. "I should probably go to him..."

"Doom said he'd be in the dungeons," Raven supplied. She paused a beat, then added, "Did you know he had dungeons?"

"Of course," Loki answered. She thought a moment, before turning to fully face Raven. "I know it has been a while since we've had the chance to speak, but do you suppose that you could wait a bit longer? I'd rather not leave Iron Man to Doom's mercy long."

Raven nodded. "Yeah, I'll be in my room. Have fun."

"Not likely," Loki sighed.

"Very likely," Raven retorted.

* * *

Amora woke up feeling much calmer than she thought that she should. She knew that Doom had given her something that made her sleep, had been able to taste it after the initial drink she'd taken from the wine he brought her. She should probably be angry about that, insulted even, but whatever he'd given her had resulted in very restful sleep. She wasn't certain when she had last chosen to sleep, but the rest did her well.

It was as she stretched out on the bed that she noticed she wasn't alone. She looked over to see who was sharing her bed. It was only after she recognized Thor that she sat up, staring at the body beside her. "You're here," She murmured to herself, touching his face softly.

She had wondered if Doom would truly be able to grant her desire, but she supposed that she shouldn't have thought to question it. Doom had to be the most determined mortal she had ever met. Devotion, glorious and pure. She placed her head on Thor's chest taking a deep breath. Passion, strong and focused. It wasn't hers, though she supposed, neither was Thor. Not yet.

Part of her was almost surprised that she woke peacefully in her bed. She had expected, if Doom was going through the trouble of knocking her out, that he wanted something from her. People could only resist her beauty for long, after all, and he was only a mortal. Perhaps she was under estimating him, though.

Amora felt content to close her eyes and rest cuddled up to Thor, feeling the other gods body beneath her own. Her blissful moment was ruined however when Skurge's voice cut through the silence. "Do you plan to restrain him, my lady? He could try to escape."

"You are here, Skurge," She responded, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Of course."

"I thought Doom was making use of you."

"He released me to watch over you," Skurge answered, slight annoyance in his own voice. She presumed it was directed at Doom. She supposed that she should ask him what the mortal did, but she wasn't concerned about it just now. She wasn't concerned about anything but being curled up in her bed with the God of Thunder.

"Leave me," She commanded. "I do not have need of you."

Skurge hesitated, but bent to her desire, slipping out of the room.

She sighed, allowing herself to slip back into her peaceful state. She should bind Thor in some way. Usually she would. But... not this time. That wasn't what she wanted.

* * *

When Raven encountered Skurge on the way to her room, she was only marginally surprised. On the one hand, Doom clearly did not like letting anyone into his castle that wasn't thrown into the dungeon, but on the other hand, he didn't look human and Doom seemed to keep a lot of those around. After giving the new comer a thorough once over, taking note of the fact that he was sitting outside Amora's room, she made an educated guess.

"Are you Skurge?"

He looked at her suspiciously, hand tightening on an axe at his side. "Who does the asking, little one."

She glanced at the axe unimpressed. Anywhere else she might be worried, but she felt a particular invincibility in the castle. Everyone was here, nothing willingly brought to this castle would strike her. "Mystique," She answered. "You'd best watch your axe arm. It looks a little twitchy."

"It as steady as my intentions," He replied.

"So are you Skurge?" She questioned again. "Amora said that she was going to get Skurge a while back, but I've been gone this last week, so..." She let the sentence drift off.

"I am," He answered. "What role have you in this place?"

"Role?" She repeated in some confusion.

"Loki is here, allied with some mad mortal," Skurge explained. "Do you belong to Loki or to the mortal?"

'Neither,' She was tempted to answer, but thought better of that. Even if this person hated Loki, better to have the protection of a god than not. "Loki," She said. "But Amora has fought on my behalf before."

Skure snorted. "There is nothing about you that has my ladies mark."

"So you... belong to the Enchantress?"

"I am her protector."

"She didn't seem to need much protecting last I saw her fight," Raven answered.

"I am whatever my lady wishes me to be," He told her.

"Right. Well, nice to meet you, I suppose." She began to walk past him, going to her own room. "You're staying, I assume? Doom can't have liked that. He didn't like when I first showed up."

"The mortal did not seemed pleased with my presence, but he matters little."

Raven actually laughed at that. "You shouldn't say that around Doom. He'd take major offense and that doesn't usually turn out well for anyone."

Skurge didn't reply to this and Raven kept walking. She didn't exactly get the same feeling from him that she did from Loki and Amora. She wondered at that, but figured she could just ask later. It's been much too long and she was beginning to miss her bed.

* * *

Loki went to Victor's lab before venturing to the dungeon's. She watched for a moment as the mortal worked on one of his Doombots, silent and focused despite her presence. After seeing that he wasn't going to acknowledge her, Loki spoke. "Why did you bring him here?"

"He could be useful," Doom readily replied.

"Is that why you brought him?"

"He was with Mystique when I went for her, looking for you, the simplest solution was to take him out."

"Is that why you brought him?" She repeated.

"You are fond of him, aren't you?" Doom questioned.

"You refuse to answer me?" Loki asked in turn.

"What answer do you wish me to give, Loki?" Victor replied exasperatedly. "It is a gift, and if you do not want it, then it is a resource. There is much I could learn from studying Iron Man's technology-"

"No," Loki said. "Just as I would not allow anyone to tamper with your creations, you may not tamper with his."

Doom stopped and placed his tools down on the work table, turning to face the god. "I ask again, what is it that you wish me to say?"

Loki was silent as she looked away. Finally, she just sighed. "I do not know."

Doom watched the god closely for a moment. "I have already delivered the thunder god to Amora, and I have promised him that he could speak to you. Even if you chose to run from this, he will likely wait you out."

"Why?" She asked, her voice strained. "Why would you bring him here? Why would you-"

"I am no fool, Loki!" Doom yelled, cutting her off. "After your first confrontation with Svadilfari, you took comfort in the form of Thor. You become enraged when I offer to kill him and yet you hide away from his sight like his gaze would burn! You want him as much as The Enchantress. You fear him like he is your judge and jury. As if he is above you!"

"He is!" Loki cried.

"He is not," Doom shouted back. "And I will not allow you to be a coward of a god." Loki flinched back from Doom's words as if he'd been struck, but the mortal didn't let up. "You said it yourself when you brought Mystique into our home. We are all monsters. That includes your Stark as well as the God of Thunder. It includes Mystique as well as it does myself. There are no innocents here. Is what you are so much worse than what you have done? You gods of old bathed in the blood of enemies, reveled in destruction, is Thor so pristine that he can claim otherwise?"

"Stop it!" Loki commanded. "You do not understand."

"And you do not tell," Doom replied. "But it matters not. Even if you were sin wrapped in flesh, I have placed a claim on you. And nothing of mine shall want or fear. Whether that means dragging a god into The Enchantress' chambers or dragging you to face him, that is what I shall do. Stark is a distraction, nothing more. Make use of him as you will, because you will not be avoiding this conflict when it so clearly eats at you."

Loki stared silently as Doom turned away from her and back to his work, a slow realization coming over her. It had not occurred to her, though she claimed these mortals as being under her protection, that they would do so as well. Mortals were fickle things. They worshiped and abandoned gods between one breath and the next, and they always wanted something. Mystique wanted to be protected and defended. Doom wanted power. Loki had given them what they wanted and expected nothing more than the subservience of old, that right which any god claimed of it's mortal worshipers. She expected to be obeyed, she did not expect to be loved.

It didn't occur the first time Doom endeavored to protect her, because that been fueled by possessiveness and arrogance. It was a territorial display, nothing more. No one worshiped a weak god and Loki thought she had done well to hide her weaknesses here. Apparently she was wrong.

On Asgard, such weakness would have been greatly ridiculed by now. She had memories enough of Sif and The Warriors Three doing just so. Mystique's comforting her could have been attributed to a favor owed for all she did for the mutant. Perhaps she did think of her affection as such. Doom did not deal in unspoken spoils, however. He made his every intention quiet clear.

It had been a long time since she had been loved as a god.

Worshiped, yes. Though it was a wild heart that called upon the God of Chaos; of Mischief; of Lies; of Change. The wild, the reckless, the tricksters in their own right, the wicked and the rowdy and the innovators. They called upon Loki.

Trusted, even, on occasion. When paths aligned and alliances were temporarily forged. Or even when there was no one else and so Loki was the only one that could be called. Loki had gained grains of trust.

Loki almost couldn't remember the last time he had been loved by a mortal. Not for something more than the godly boon her favor granted.

Part of Loki had still been waiting for when the day when Victor would attempt a betrayal. Loki was prepared to forgive and correct the mortal, was expecting to have to expend her wrath, she hadn't prepared for the possibility that it wouldn't come.

Loki leaned heavily on the wall behind her. This castle was her home. She was wanted here. She was loved here. A mortal gave her that. An arrogant, possessive, prideful mortal that could not speak plainly lest he fear his tongue betray his sentiments. Victor was a child of his house, for certain. An instrument of change, of creation and destruction. But perhaps also, there was more of Amora's influence than he had anticipated.

Mystique, due in part to her being a shapeshifter, was one of Loki's. A trickster at heart. There was little of Amora's domain there. The mutant had no particular penchant for devotion, no particular passion, at least not stronger than any other mortal. She had faith in them as gods, but that was all.

Victor was more. Devoted to his work, passionate in his goals... Though it could always be that the mortal had simply changed, as they are wont to do. No mortal went unchanged by the presence of a god. The mortal had been alone in this castle and now he was not. He was surrounded by beings that could freely interact with him, unlike the bots that he built himself. He had entities in his house that required study, protection, attention.

While his passion had been on his work, he was also devoted and passionate to an extent, but the drive that gave him those things, the need to change and heart of chaos, had overwritten them. Now the rest was much more pronounced. He was invested in them.

"Victor," Loki said quietly. "Do you worship me?" Loki didn't need the answer, but she wanted to know how the mortal would response.

"If you are seeking praise, I am in no mood to give it," Doom replied.

Loki smiled, feeling praise despite Doom's words. She is a god after all and prayers are practically life blood to her. She turned to leave, but stopped before she was fully out of the room. "What about that Extremis sample?"

"When I noticed Mystique was near, I decided to forgo causing a scene to bring her home. I expect there will be better opportunities soon and I left plenty of bots in the city should I have need of them."

"Did you now?" Loki questioned.

"You are not the only one that can make plans, Trickster," Doom answered.

"No, I suppose not." With that, Loki decided to leave. It wouldn't due to keep Iron Man waiting in the dungeon, after all.

* * *

Iron Man looked rather dejected sitting in the dungeons. Loki almost found it funny, but she rather had different feelings on the matter, considering that the mortal had been actively seeking her out. Loki didn't want to really think about her feelings on the matter. Not after her realization about Victor and Raven's devotion to him. She kept herself hidden in the shadows, just a small bit of fun, as she called out to the mortal. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Iron Man?"

The mortal stood quickly at the sound of her voice, face plate flipping up as he replied. "I thought I told you before, call me Tony."

"And I thought I told you, Stark, that I would not be doing so."

"Where are you, anyway?" He questioned.

Loki crept slowly out of the shadows, inwardly laughing as she saw him jump in surprise. She smiled sharply. There hadn't been enough mischief in her life lately. "Hello, Stark."

After he calmed down, Tony smiled back at her, full of his usual bravado and charm. "Hey there, Lunatic."

Loki blinked in surprise a moment before the realization hit. "Ah. Raven must have made mention of her nickname of me."

"Raven?"

"Mystique," Loki corrected. "That is her name, though she has more fondness for her usual moniker."

"Then why don't you use it?"

"Names have power, Stark, even if you mortals have little realization of it." Loki moved closer. "Are you willing to take your suit off and talk with me? I promise the rest of the castle is much more hospitable."

"Yeah, not really feeling too safe here," Tony replied.

"I promise no harm will come to you or your suit on this visit," Loki told him.

"What about Thor?"

Loki's expression changed, but she covered it quickly. "That is no business of ours, so please let it lie." Loki teleported to Iron Man's side. She held out her hand to him. "Will you join me in my chambers, Stark?"

"Tony."

"Iron Man."

Tony frowned pausing just a moment before the suit opened up and he stepped out, taking Loki's hand. Loki smiled at him, then the two teleported away with Iron Man's suit.

* * *

Being pressed closely to Thor's body, Amora felt the moment that he began to stir. She pressed closer to him and spoke softly, hoping to stave off any panic, since she didn't know what Doom had done to capture Thor and expected him to wake with some alarm. "Hello Thor."

"Amora?" He questioned, pushing himself into a sitting position. The goddess refused to let him go, however, causing him to simply sigh and pull her further into his lap so that he could sit up without causing her injury.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like a fool," He sighed. "I was promised the chance to speak with Loki and instead I've been taken by one of your allies."

Amora frowned. It made sense that it would be Loki on Thor's mind, but the prickling jealousy came regardless. Just once, she would like to be the first thing on Thor's mind. Well, no... not only once. She wanted it to be once and always. A single time would never be enough.

"Loki is here," She told him. "Must we speak on him, however? Can we not speak on us?"

"There is nothing of us to speak of, Enchantress."

"There could be."

"I am with Jane, now."

"I could kill her."

Thor's grip tightened where his hand rested on her waist. "You will do no such thing."

"I know you better than any mortal ever could," Amora replied. She pulled back enough to meet his gaze, eyes fierce and blazing with passion. "Why do you spurn me? We are a perfect match. Passion for passion. What can that mortal give you that I cannot."

"I love Jane."

"You love me," She countered, looking into his eyes. "Or you could... you can... you have."

Thor looked away from her gaze. "None of your mind games!"

"This is no game!" She replied, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her. "This has never been a game. That is your problem, Thor. You think all magics are tricks, that all desires are lies. You are so... blind! Do you really believe all my feelings for you to be lies? Were your own?"

"We are not here to talk about the past-"

"We are," Amora insisted. "You ignored Sif and I for centuries, inbetween playing us like a fiddle, and running to Loki everytime we wanted your head on a stake. No more! I want to know now, why don't you love me? We were beautiful together. Fierce and passionate, strong, everything you desire."

"You are wrong, Enchantress." Thor moved her away from him as he answered, his expression serious. "Neither you nor Sif was ever what I wanted. I want not a warrior and I want not a mage. You are right that we are well suited, but that is not what I desire. I want for something that I am not. Sif is too like myself and you are too like Loki."

Amora pressed herself closer, taking his lips in a passionate kiss before pulling away and whispering, "I am nothing like, Loki!"

"Nay, you are," Thor replied. "And I have spent my life by my brother's side, will continue to do so if he will allow it, but I do not need another Loki. What you want is to take his place in my heart and I will never allow that."

Amora pushed herself away from him, angry tears filling her eyes. Turning around, she unleashed a powerful blast of magic at him and tossed him from her bed. "You are the worst kind of fool, Thunderer!"

Thor stood up slowly, holding his hands out placatingly. "I mean no offense-"

"You have caused it!" She yelled. "How is that meant to not offend me?" She attacked him again, the green blast of magic knocking him into the wall. "That my beauty means nothing! That my love means nothing! How is that not an offense?"

"You misunderstand-"

"I misunderstand nothing!" She yelled, hitting him once again. "We were glorious once! You told me... you told me..."

"Amora! Stop this!"

Amora's eyes glowed with magic as she stomped toward him, meeting his gaze. "It doesn't matter what you say, Thunderer, and it doesn't mater what you want. If I mean to have you," She pushed him against the wall, the glow beginning to take over his eyes as well. "Then I can very well do as please."

* * *

Loki's room was not as Tony expected it to be. He doesn't really know what he expected, but Doom's castle looked like a typical villain lair, so maybe he was expecting Loki's room to be similar. It isn't though. There are jewels that hang from gold chains from the ceiling and the room is mostly in green, but it isn't dark. It looks as lavish as he would expect of a prince's room, he supposed. There's a large bed and multiple bookshelves, a desk sits on side of the room, and a sitting area is on the other. There's a floor length mirror and paintings and other decoration of gold or jewels.

"You really like shiny things, huh?" Is the first thing that Tony says and he really hadn't expected to say it. He's immediately glad that he did, though. Loki's face flushes slightly, though she soon turns to look away from him and her hair covers her face.

"You really want to speak on my decor?" She asked him.

And no, he doesn't, but he does want to continue saying things that put that look on her face. He remembers why he came here, though, and he asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Loki turned back to him with a surprised laugh. "Is that why you went looking for me? To ask after my well being?"

"Well, yeah," Tony shrugged.

Loki laughed again, a little lighter this time. She smiled at him, equal parts charming and warning. "You've chased me halfway around the world, into the home of your enemy, Stark, what do you really want of me?"

Tony smiled in return, but she could read the bravado in his stance. She wasn't certain, and neither was he, apparently, if they were caught in a liar's game or a dare of honesty. "You must be really bad listening, because I thought we had this discussion multiple times now. I keep telling you that you're interesting. That hasn't gone away."

"And I keep telling you that I am not what you see and that you would not want if you could."

"Yeah, well you're wrong about that," Tony insisted. "I learned a thing a thing or two playing around with your magic boxes." Loki stilled at that, but the mortal continued, meeting her eyes as he spoke. "You're Loki. And from what I've seen, Loki is a liar; the most complicated puzzle I've ever come across; a sarcastic, witty, funny, beautiful, hilarious god, that makes friends with villains and saves the lives of heroes. I want Loki. I want to know everything about, Loki."

"No one wants, Loki," She whispered. "Only what Loki can do." That wasn't true, though. She'd just come to the realization a few minutes ago that her mortals wanted her. It was still too good to be true, though. Like Odin calling her home and Thor not thinking her a monster. Dreams that all proved to be false in the end.

"Yeah, well I do," He said strongly. He moved closer to her, resting one hand on her hip while the other rested on her lower back, pulling her closer.

"I'll tear you apart," She told him. Because it was true and not because she was afraid of it. She tore everyone apart and sometimes they didn't put themselves back together right afterwards.

"Yeah, me too," He told her firmly. "And I'll study all the pieces."

"Everything you see is a lie."

"Everything I see is Loki."

"Loki is made of lies," She said firmly.

"I don't believe that," He replied. "In fact, you've told me more truth than lies since we met."

She flushed at that. She had been unusually honest since turning up on Midgard. Especially to this mortal. This mortal that risked Doom's company to find her. This mortal that she had alone in her chambers. This mortal she wanted and had wanted since he matched wits with her during a false invasion.

"I'm not going to bed you," She said, but she didn't know if that was a lie. 'I shouldn't bed you,' is what she meant to say, but saying that was like giving in, wasn't it?

"I take that as a challenge, at this point," Tony told her. Then he leaned up to press a kiss to her lips and she was reciprocating before she even had time to think about it. She was pushing him back until he fell onto her bed and she was pressed up against him and stealing his breath as she kissed him like she was drowning. She wanted to devour this mortal and be devoured in turn. She wanted to burrow into his embrace. She wanted him to worship her and pray to her and help her destroy and create and -

"Oh." Loki pulled away slightly, stopping that thought before it could continue and giving the mortal room to breathe. She was not this mortal's patron. She couldn't... but gods she could feel him resonate with her. Change and creation and destruction and chaos. This mortal so nearly belonged to her. She needed to restrain herself, though. "So, Iron Man," She began, but he cut her off.

"Tony." He said it with insistence and she smirked in turn.

"Anthony," Loki purred and the mortal practically shivered beneath her. "You wanted to pick me apart. Where do you intend to start?"

Tony looked her up and down, licking his lips as he did so. He reached out and pulled her body close to his, sliding one hand in her hair as the other locked around her waist. He brought his lips close to her ear as he answered. "Tell me who you are, Loki? I want to know who you think you are."

Loki relaxed against him. "I am a god. Obviously."

He chuckled in her ear, the sound sending shivers of pleasure through her. "What else?"

"I am the God of Mischief, Chaos, Change, and often times Lies," Loki went on. "I am a being of creation and destruction. I am a wildfire. I am a lie. I am a trick." To emphasize this, Loki switched back to his male form, but there was no visible change in the mortal holding her. He was equal parts disappointed at the lack of reaction as he was elated by it. "Who are you, Anthony?"

"I'm Iron Man."

"Is that all that you are?"

"I'm billionaire genius, playboy, philanthropist, Tony Stark. Innovator and protector and engineer scientist."

"Chaser of Gods," Loki added playfully.

"Just the one."

"You make me want, Anthony, and I am not a fickle god. If I lay claim to you, you shall be mine. No one else shall touch what is mine again." He moved back enough that he could see into the mortal's eyes. "If you agree to be mine. As long as you agree to be mine. When you agree," He added with a smile. "I can be patient, when needed."

"No need," Tony responded. "To wait, I mean."

"Reckless mortal," Loki said with a smile. "You throw yourself to the mercy of a god you do not even worship?"

"I think I'm in good hands."

Loki chuckled. "Oh, Anthony. You have no idea what these hands could do to you."


	23. The Family Dinner

As soon as Loki left his lab, Doom began to watch the cameras. He really did not like having others inside his castle. He did not care for The Enchantress' pet and contemplated obliterating the thing for daring to threaten Mystique. He did not like Iron Man here and was vastly disappointed that the man couldn't be put to productive use, and he was not happy that the Thunder God was unrestrained in his home.

It wasn't as if it was unusual for him to watch them all this way. It was something he had done since they first entered his castle and he would continue to do so. Mystique was happily occupied. Loki was utilizing his gift, slightly surprising Doom with their... closeness. He had not expected the god to desire romance, let alone one with Iron Man. The Enchantress, on the other hand, was not enjoying her gift quite as much.

Doom decided to interfere. He went to the room of the goddess, ignoring her pet waiting outside and his attempt at threatening Doom away from her room. Doom was not one to be so easily intimidated.

The scene in Enchantress' room was just as he had last seen it, with Thor in a position of worship and supplication at her feet and Amora standing over him. She looked wrecked with sorrow, the second time he had ever seen her in such a way, and rendered by a god both times. Part of him wondered if they were unmovable but by one another. Amora seemed to think so, or at least she seemed to indicate as much to Thor.

"Amora," He called. "You are a mess." Doom has never been one to mince words and he especially has not had a habit of doing so with Amora. "If you are done with him," Doom gestured to Thor, "I can take him away."

Amora looked at him with a combination of sadness and anger. "No," She told him. "I am keeping him here. You gave him to me didn't you?"

"You don't seem to be enjoying him," He commented.

Amora looked down to Thor, whose glowing green eyes were focused on her. "I wouldn't have to give him back at all if I had his soul. I would not have to suffer his scorn."

"Then why have you not already taken it?" Doom questioned. He didn't really care about what happened to the God of Thunder, though he was, as always, taking note of any ability displayed by his guest. As far as Doom was concerned, it would be better if the god was unable to cause more problems than he already had. Unfortunately, Doom found that solution to be unlikely.

Amora didn't answer his inquiry. "As long as I hold power over him, I can do whatever I wish with him. I can have whatever I desire of him. I can take whatever I wish from him."

"You will not get worship from a soulless being," He told her. "Though you could have anything else, I suppose. There is no need to wait. He is at your mercy."

"Loki would not..." She began.

"I am not going to stop you, if that is what you want. I did not come here to stop you. Either take what you desire of him or toss him aside, but do not make yourself miserable with him."

"Thor should be mine. I should not have to-"

"If you want him to be yours, then make it so!" Doom said forcefully. "Loki is not here to play this game of morality with you. You are either willing to take him or you are not."

Amora turned back to him angrily. "Who are you to tell me what I must do!" Her eyes and hands blazed with her magic, but Doom was not moved by it.

"What is so important about this god, as opposed to any other?" He questioned.

"Thor is mine!" She yelled. "He is everything. You can't understand-"

"Do not dare to tell Doom what he cannot understand!" He replied. "If it is so important, you should be able to explain it."

"He is power. He is passion. He is all that I need. I am the embodiment of passion and devotion. Thor is a storm. He needs nothing, but I need him." Her anger simmered down lightly as she spoke, the blaze of magic disappearing from her hands and eyes.

"A requirement of passion and devotion is not a requirement of Thor," Doom replied. "You want and perhaps he could provide to you your desire, but if he were doing so, you would not be upset as you are now. You are not even willing to truly take what you claim to want from him. Loki is not here to stop you and yet you are doing nothing."

"I could crush you!" She yelled at him.

"And what would that prove?" He returned. "It wouldn't yield your desire to you."

Amora screamed, rage burning as her eyes and hands blazing with green magic. She kicked Thor away from her, who just pushed himself back up and looked at her with sadness, and turned to Doom. She stomped forward, towering over him as she yelled. "Fine! Take him! Destroy him! I don't care." Tears were on her face again when she turned away.

He paused a moment before speaking. "What do you need?" He asked her.

"Everything," She answered. She met his gaze for a moment and he saw the pure need in her gaze. It was more emotion than he had ever seen her display, even in her fits over Thor. It was more emotion than he thought The Enchantress was capable of. She made to turn away from him, but he was having none of it. Doom reached out quickly and grabbed hold of her, pulling her until she face him.

"You think only that will suffice?" He demanded. "I am not asking simply for curiosity." He took hold of her other arm to keep her still. The raw vulnerability was still fresh in her eyes, even as she continued trying to turn away from him. "Tell me what you need from me. I will provide it. I will find it. I will tame and subdue it and lay it at your feet if that is needed. Tell me!"

Amora slammed him against the wall in response. "I need everything!" She repeated. "You said that you understood what I need. I'm telling you I need it all!"

Doom was silent a beat. "I will not have my enemy here for this," He said quietly.

"Away with you," She said to Thor without looking away from the mortal. "My enchantment over him will hold."

They both waited as the god rose and left the room, the door closing behind him. He stared at her unflinchingly as he removed his mask. Only one of them was hesitating. Amora leaned forward, her lips hovering an inch away from his own as she whispered, "Want me." Then her lips closed on his own.

* * *

Loki had a plan.

He was going to train the Avengers until they were a force strong enough to face whatever army Thanos brought to Midgard. He was going to collect and cajole any heroes or villains he could into aiding him when the time came. He was going to use and manipulate every power in his reach. Slowly, he was going to guide the Avengers into a working alliance with himself, Amora, Mystique, and Doom. Shield, as well, would end up helping him and he even had several different tricks in place to make that happen.

Tony Stark was a distraction to all his plans.

He needed to have his team and the Avengers together in working order. He needed Shield in a position to believe such an alliance could be worth while. Sleeping with Tony Stark, becoming romantically entangled with him, would undeniably ruin his credibility, and Loki would rather have the man's esteem to aid in his plan than to simply have the man.

Or at least, that's where his priorities were suppose to fall. That's what Loki had planned for them to be. That aspect of his plan was already rather off course. His hands were already beneath the mortal's clothing, feeling his skin, holding him close. His priorities were a bit off course just now, but he was finding it hard to pull away from the mortal.

"Loki."

Especially when the man sighed his name with such contentment.

And the mortal was undoubtedly overwhelmed by Loki's attention. The full attention of a god was no easy thing to be beholden to. Such a thing could be addictive. It could sway and manipulate the mortals whim, if he were weak, could consume him in Loki's feelings.

Loki pulled the mortal close to himself. "Anthony," He breathed. Loki could be patient. He could also be selfish however, and this mortal, Tony Stark, was meant to belong to him. Loki didn't think he could follow any plan that required otherwise.

Loki wanted to worship this mortal. To lavish him with all his attention and desires. Later, perhaps, he would reconsider the wisdom of such a dalliance. Later, he would consider the possibility that this mortal was being influenced by his own desires. But... not now. Not when he wanted so intently.

Loki's lips traveled from Tony's neck down, magically removing the clothing that stood in his way. Thoroughly, his lips and tongue traced and tasted every inch of Tony's chest, hands tracing his ribs, sliding down his thighs, as Loki's mouth moved lower. Tony's soft groans of pleasure were like music and Loki wanted the man to sing.

He traced his lips down one thigh as his hands traced the other. Lightly, teasingly, caressing so close to the man's hardened length where it begged for attention.

"Loki," Tony moaned, trying to move closer to the other man. Tempting him as he made small thrust into the empty air. Loki couldn't resist and wasn't inclined to. He licked back up the man's thigh and wrapped his lips around the warm, wanting member, taking it in slowly and listening to Tony's answering moan. Loki moaned in turn around the man and Tony let out a trembling breath. One hand slipped into Loki's hair, the other raking nails down the back of the god's neck, his shoulders, anywhere Tony could reach.

Loki shivered in delight. Tony was moaning a litany of encouragement, of Loki's name, of delicious praise that left Loki in a haze of pleasure. He slowed the speed of his movements as his other hands began to gently tease the man's entrance. He magically slicked his fingers as he slowly pressed into the man. Tony trembled, clenched around him, then relaxed as Loki's hand pressed deeper.

Loki removed his mouth from Tony as he stared down at the flushed and panting figure he presented. He needed nothing so much as this man's pleasure, at the moment. Nothing so much as to hear his name from his lips. "Again," Loki whispered. "My name again."

"Loki," Tony breathed out, body shuddering as Loki moved his hand faster, adding another finger.

"Again," Loki insisted. "Do not stop."

"Loki. Loki. Loki!" Tony repeated, his body moving to match Loki's every thrust. Loki's eyes were locked with Tony's. He needed the man to fall apart, to cling to him, to belong to him. To never cease speaking his name. It was like addiction and Loki couldn't bring himself to stop.

"Do you want me, Anthony?" Loki asked, his voice a seductive purr.

"Gods, yes!" Tony replied.

Loki licked his lips. "Good." He leaned over Tony as he removed his hands, taking the man's lips in a passionate kiss. It was completely wild, tongue and teeth and hands clinging everywhere they could reach, their bodies pressed closely to each other. They broke apart only when Loki knew the mortal would need breath and he barely gave him time to catch it as he positioned his body and smoothly slid inside Tony.

"Loki!" Tony gasped. His hands were clinging to the god. Loki stared into's Tony's lust filled eyes as he moved deeply within him. His attention was entirely focused on the mortal. On his name from his lips, his pleasure, his sweat soaked skin and trembling limbs. Nothing could be more important than this.

Nothing else.

There was nothing else.

Tony screamed his name when the pleasure finally pushed him over his peak and it was only seeing the mortal so overwhelmed with his own pleasure, pleasure that Loki gave him, that lead to the god finding his own release.

It was several minutes before the two calmed down. Loki held Tony tightly, pulling him as close as he could and Tony, likewise, clung to Loki.

"You are a disruption to my plans," Loki told him softly, still trying to calm himself. "You mortals are always so unexpected." He was still too worked up. He desired praise. He desired passion. His body felt sated, but he still... wanted...

"Aren't you the god of the unexpected?" Tony chuckled.

"Yes."

Loki was an emblem of chaos and change. And not far off, a goddess of passion was releasing the reigns on her own domain. Now that Loki felt the slightest bit calmer, now that he had the mind to think of it, the signs were obvious. Amora's influence was clearly affecting him, and Loki's attention, he was sure, had encompassed the mortal. Whether or not that was something he should worry about, he could think on later. If he wasn't careful, he could push the man too far, especially with Amora's influence hanging over them.

Loki felt content in this mortals arms. An embodiment of change, a vessel of chaos, held so tightly to him and bringing him peace. It was better that this was his space they were in. Loki could be relaxed here, in this mortals arms, without having to worry about the world around him. He was home, but Tony wasn't. The thought prompted him to whisper to the mortal. "You are safe here, Anthony. No harm shall come to you while you lay in my arms. Rest. Sleep. You are safe."

Slowly, he felt the mortal relax, more than the man probably knew. It would be hard to disbelieve when he felt Loki's power coiled around him. They needed to be calm just now. Both of them. Else they would be wound up once more, compelled by Amora's influence.

Loki felt content, trusted, when the mortal fell asleep in his arms. And Loki felt safe enough to do the same.

* * *

Everything was a lot to ask of a mortal.

Amora was ready to absolutely devour the mortal before her and all he could give her. She watched as he fell beneath the sway of her godhood, wrapped in the coil of lust and passion that emanated from her, entranced by her beauty. He was compelled by her.

Victor took hold of her, enwrapping her with his arms and devotion both. Not a single moment passed when they were not skin to skin as clothes fell and the bed was suddenly beneath them.

Even under the weight of her full attention, Victor was still more himself than most mortals were when they were with her. When he spoke he called her foolish in the same breath he praised her, worshiped her with action rather than word. And he said her name. Often. Something he had only done a handful of times before. But they'd told him names had power and he bestowed that power onto her.

For a while, she let herself be worshiped as he touched every part of her body, writing pleasure into her skin. Embracing her fully as his body moved into her own. Then she couldn't hold herself back. She returned his worship as she lavished him with attention. And she took everything when she did so.

He flinched away from her when she focused on his face, but she refused to let him hide, touching and tasting each and every scar on his face. She pinned him beneath her, taking control of the situation out of his hands as she traced every line of his body with hands, lips, and tongue. She was a god and she would have him know it.

There was nothing he could control in this situation. There was nothing he could hide from her. She would take everything he had; his secrets, his worship, his devotion, and passion. She would squeeze every ounce of lust from his body and spirits as she mounted him, taking and taking, drinking his each lustful groan and cry of passion, raking her nails across his flesh, digging into him until she felt some part of herself beneath his flesh.

She stopped before she drove his body too far past his breaking point, feeling fairly sated when she did so. The mortal was exhausted beyond what was likely healthy, but she restored enough of his vitality that he was well enough. Amora drifted for a while on the high of her satiation.

When it occurred to her to check once more on the mortal, he had already left her chamber.

* * *

It was hours later that Loki and Tony awoke. Loki held Tony close as he watched the mortal waking in his arms. "Hello," Loki smiled at him.

Tony smiled in return. "Hey."

Loki ran a hand through the tussled brown hair. He hummed in contentment as he watched Tony. "There is still much to be spoken between us," Loki said. "I imagine you still have many questions, my curious one?"

"Yeah. Kind of a lot, actually," Tony replied. He sat up to face Loki. "I'm not even sure where to start. I literally have a million questions."

"I believe you are misusing that word."

"No, really!" Tony insisted.

"Yes, well, why don't you pick one," Loki asked with a smirk.

Tony barely took a moment to think before he asked his question. "What's with the villain castle? I mean, I get having an evil lair and all, but... really? You and a bunch of villains just... hanging out?"

Loki chuckled. "The castle belongs to Victor. Amora and I met him very early in our stay on Midgard and forged an alliance with him. Since then, this place has become our home. I happened upon Raven under siege one day and decided to shelter her and brought her here. Victor was not entirely happy with the situation at first, but things have settle well since then."

"So you've just been here playing house?" Tony asked with some amusement.

"Not how I would put it," Loki sighed. "We have an alliance."

"With Doom," Tony repeated. "No offense, but that... doesn't seem very wise."

"For most, it would not be. He frequently fantasies about having any one of us on his operating table for further study." Loki said this with a smile, looking way more unconcerned than Tony thought was safe. Loki laughed a little at his expression. "I am a god, Anthony, Victor does not frighten me."

"You just said that he wants to operate on you! And you know he kidnapped me and Thor!" Tony exclaimed.

"He did that as a gift," Loki explained.

Tony just stared at him.

Smiling, Loki began to run his hair through Tony's hair, again. He was still feeling rather enamored with his mortal, though the frantic energy he felt earlier had calmed somewhat. He no longer needed to completely ensnare this mortal with such immediacy. "Victor is a villain. He has questionable, if not outright wicked morals, is completely power hunger, and willing to do absolutely anything to get what he wants. I am not blind to my allies. If you are looking for a moral standard, you will not find it from me."

Tony just sighed. "I'm not exactly a pillar of morality myself, just..." The mortal looked at him with a worried gaze. "Just... don't get yourself carved up by a maniac."

"Believe it or nor, I do endeavor to meet that standard."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by a Doombot entering. Tony jumped at the sudden interruption and Loki pulled the man into his arms, petting his hair. The man didn't exactly relax, but he didn't try to escape either. Loki looked dispassionately towards the mechanical creature. "Yes, what is it?"

"Doom demands his guest attend him." The Doombot said in it's master's voice.

"Why?" Loki questioned.

"To dine."

"Hmm. Very Well," Loki agreed. He turned back to Tony. "Would you be willing to dine in a house of villains, as you call it?"

"I'm not going to be dissected or anything, right?" He questioned skeptically.

Loki snorted. "Of course not during dinner! Victor has much more class than that. You may have to worry about afterwards..."

"That is not funny, Loki!" Tony exclaimed.

Loki chuckled as he stood, holding a hand out to him. "Victor has no interest in dissecting you. You are only human, after all, there is nothing he could find in your body that could be of more than his own." He lifted the man to his feet, holding him close. "Iron Man is a much different story, but I've already forbidden him that venture."

"He wants my suits!"

"Victor wants everything, to be honest. Do not worry on it, though. Do not worry on anything. As long as I am with you, you will be safe here," Loki promised. He smiled at the mortal before turning to the still hovering Doombot. "You may go."

It left without further prompting.

Loki snapped his fingers, dressing them both. Tony took a moment to admire the clothes he'd been placed in, very nice quality, but not as formal as a suit. "You have to explain how you did that."

"Perhaps later, Anthony."

"And that! Do you have to keep doing that!"

"Calling you Anthony? Yes."

"No one calls me that!"

"All the better that it may be mine alone," Loki told him. He lead him out the room, still speaking as he did so. "You should know, I am rather fond of them, as well. So while I do not intend to let let them hurt you, I would not much appreciate you trying to bring harm to them either."

"Might be kinda difficult..." Tony said frowning.

"I realize the position we're in. I do not intend for you to stop playing hero. That is not my meaning here," Loki said quietly.

* * *

When they got to the dinning room, the others were already there. Doom was seated at the head of the table, Mystique to his right. Amora sat close to the center of the left side of the table, beside Skurge, with Thor seated at the far end. Loki froze for a moment at the sight of Thor, but relaxed when he saw the glow of green magic around his eyes. He sat himself across from Amora, pulling Tony along beside him.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Amora asked. "If we're going to be playing at hospitality?"

"Doom needs no introduction," He said from the head of the table. The table was already set, with a few Doombots placing the last dishes on the table.

Loki sighed and shook his head. He gestured towards the head of the table. "Victor von Doom, as you know, is our oh so hospitable host."

"Do not mock me, Trickster!" Doom said in a threatening voice.

"Would I do such a thing?" Loki replied. He gestured to Mystique next. "This is Raven, Mystique, as you would know her." The mutant was in her true form, looking at Tony with something between distrust and curiosity. She nodded at him, but didn't speak. Loki gestured at Amora next. "This is Amora. She is of Asgard, as well. That is Skurge, her body guard."

"So..." Tony began. "What's up with Thor?"

"His mind is a little occupied right now," Amora said with a smile.

Loki frowned at her. "Yes, I did notice that. And you are in a rather pleasant mood."

"Because you are in such a sour mood yourself," She teased.

"Selfish as always, you have no idea if your little stunt caused hardships for me," Loki replied haughtily. "Perhaps I was in no mood to suffer through your influence."

"What influence?" Tony questioned. He had already gathered food on his plate, but he hesitated to actually eat any of it. Loki casually reached over to Tony's plate and swiped a piece of meat before answering.

"Amora is a goddess of lust and passion," Loki explained.

"Ah," Tony nodded. Cautiously, he took a bite of the food Loki just tasted.

"I just bet you made Raven quiet uncomfortable," Loki went on lightly.

Raven choked on her wine. "What?"

"How unsavory of me. I should have offered to lend her Skurge," Amora said with a smile. "Or offered to let her join us."

"That is enough, Enchantress," Doom commanded.

"Victor," She purred. "I didn't realize you were so shy. Worry not, I'd say you are quite talented enough for the both of us."

"Oh?" Loki smirked. "Interesting."

"Unexpected," Raven replied, looking at Doom. Her gaze move to Amora before she added, "Or... perhaps not."

"It was a favor to her, nothing more," Doom replied.

"Oh?" Loki said again.

"I do not think this topic needs further discussion," Doom told them. "And it is not a preferable dinner discussion."

"What would be a more suitable discussion, then?" Loki asked, taking another bite from something else on Tony's plate without looking away from Doom. "Why my brother is seated at this table, perhaps?"

"You would have me starve our guest?" Doom questioned.

"A poor excuse, Victor," Loki replied.

Doom refused to reply to Loki's comment and looked over to Tony instead. "Is there a problem with your food, Mr. Stark? You don't seem to be eating."

"Is there a problem with my food?" Tony retorted with a pointed look.

"Are you implying that Doom is a poor host?"

Loki took a sip of his wine before placing it before Tony. "If I left you to it, you'd likely slip him all manner of things."

"That is not the purpose of this event," Doom told him.

"So it seems," Loki replied, but tasted another morsel from Tony's plate anyway. "What is the purpose, if you don't mind my asking."

"Curiosity," He answered. Doom, of course, had not bothered with the pretense of eating. He would not remove his mask before a stranger, not even in the slight way he usually did so that he could dine without his face being shown.

Loki sighed as he poured himself a glass wine. "Since you are all so very curious, make your inquiry."

"You tease us, Loki," Amora said lightly, nibbling on a piece of fruit.

"How long do you plan to make us of your... gift?" Doom questioned.

"Indefinitely," Loki answered. "He is mine, now."

Amora's face lit up with amusement. "I was wondering when you would take another apprentice. I thought you'd meant Doom for such tutelage, though, this mortal doesn't seem very magically inclined..."

"I am courting him," Loki interrupted.

Amora paused. "Courting a mortal, Loki? Doesn't that seem rather reckless of you?"

Loki smiled wickedly. "Yes."

"What is so special about him?" Raven asked. "He's just a human, right?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Tony snapped. "You're human."

"I'm a mutant," She disagreed.

"Yeah, and I'm Iron Man, so what!" Tony replied.

Raven looked to Loki, her expression full of unhappy stubbornness. "You think you're worthy of a god?"

"Damn straight!" Tony yelled back.

"And what's so great about you?" Raven retorted. "So you build things. Doom can do that and he at least has magic."

"What, is it my fault he isn't fucking Doom instead?"

Raven's expression turned distasteful and Doom interrupted them. "There is no need to be vulgar, Mr. Stark. Mystique merely made an inquiry."

"I can tell you what Loki sees in him," Amora said. "Mischief. It's written all over him." She made a vague gesture in the air as she spoke.

Loki's smile only widened. "Already there is a lovely amount of discord here. That makes the proclamation itself worthy enough."

"Doom admits to having similar curiosity," Doom added. "Doom does not see the appeal."

"Consider this, Victor. I am Trickster, as you so love to call me. Do you think I would find interest in someone lacking similar traits." Loki ran a hand through Tony's hair a moment. "He is intelligent and inquisitive, clever and attractive, and best of all," Loki grinned, "He is trouble."

Tony looked smug at the praise. Raven looked unimpressed. "That could all describe Doom," She argued still.

Tony snorted. "How attractive could a guy who hides behind a mask be?"

Raven ground her teeth together in irritation. "It could also describe me!"

Tony paused as he looked her up and down. "Can't argue the attractiveness," He shrugged. "But if that's your argument, he could be after blondie there." Tony pointed toward Amora.

Loki looked at Mystique more closely. "This is unlike you, Raven, what is the problem?"

"You're dating a human," She said lowly. "Humans aren't... you're better than that!"

"Victor is human," Loki replied softly.

"No," She replied. "He isn't. He's more like me than like them."

Loki looked to Amora, who's expression had become somewhat alarmed, same as his. "I didn't realize you had such a strong interest in Loki," Amora said in a light tone. "Had you but expressed your intention, I am sure he would have indulged you."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise. "What? That's not what I meant," She objected.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Amora questioned with a teasing smile. "I bet they'd be willing to work something out. Loki does favor you."

"That's not what I meant!" Raven repeated.

"It wasn't," Amora agreed with a laugh. "But now it could be." She winked. "If you wanted a chance-"

"I see that no one can keep a proper track of conversation tonight," Doom interrupted smoothly. "I have a question for you, Mr. Stark."

"What is it?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"What motive do you have for entangling yourself with a god?"

"He's interesting."

"Only that?" Doom went on. "When there is power, immortality, advantage as the low hanging fruit to this... entanglement, you claim that none of that sways you?"

"I'm surprised you didn't just drag me off to an interrogation room if you all you wanted was to question me," Tony replied angrily.

"Doom assumed it would upset the Trickster."

"I assure you, it would," Loki said. "Might I also add that this a poor tactic indeed. He is not likely to answer such an inquiry while I am right here."

"Doom thought the question was worth posing."

"And I already neutralized your little truth serum with the wine," Loki added.

Tony paused in his eating. "What?"

"Doom felt the attempt was worth while."

"So I see," Loki replied sardonically. "And I see you didn't bother to attempt making it strong enough to actually affect a god."

"If Doom wanted to use such a tacit on you, magic would be more effective," He explained.

"Are you saying you put some sort of truth serum in the food?" Tony exclaimed.

"You are fine," Loki assured him. "As I said, I placed a neutralizing agent in the wine."

"You live with these wackos!"

"Now, now," Loki said scolding. "Only Doom attempted to drug you, it is no fair to blame the rest." He glared at the man at the head of the table. "And I shall have words with Doom later."

"I think I'm done with dinner," Tony said decisively.

Loki sighed. "I thought you would feel that way." With reluctance, Loki stood. "Return with me to my chambers. No one shall attempt to drug you there."

"Not even you?" Tony asked as he followed Loki, eyeing him skeptically.

"Of course not," Loki replied. "That is what I have magic for."

It was quiet until the two left the room, then Amora was the first to speak. "You are very poor at making friends, Doom."

"I do not trust him," Doom replied quickly. Doombots began to replace the dishes that sat before him with warmer items and he moved his mask slightly so that he could eat.

"There is nothing he can do to Loki," Amora said.

"You underestimate him," Doom replied. "Stark is a master of technology. While he lacks the extra advantage of having magic, he still creative enough to do harm with his chosen skill set. And the fool refused to allow me to study it so that I could be better prepared against him."

"Loki wouldn't let a mortal get the better of him so easily."

"No one said that it would be easy."

Amora looked at Raven next. "And I didn't realize you felt so strongly about humans."

"I was following Magneto for a reason," Raven said.

"I was under the impression that is more for the other reason," The goddess replied.

Raven looked away from her.

"Of all of us, I rather think that you know the least about Mystique's past," Doom told her.

"And shall I guess, you know the most?" Amora smirked.

"Did you think we did not speak when she accompanied me around my country?" Doom asked her. "Had she interest, I am secure enough in my knowledge of her interest and intention to teach her to be Queen of Latveria in the case of my extremely unlikely demise."

"Oh?" Amora said in surprise. "Looking for successors already?"

"One must always have their options open," He replied. "Those Fantastic Fools have interfered in my affairs enough that I know it is best to always have a back up plan. The people of Latveria have seen her face enough alongside me that if she took up reign, there would be no doubt that reign was still under me. If I ever needed to stage a coup, she would be ideal."

Raven stared a Doom a moment. "Have you been secretly grooming me to rule your country?"

Doom made a dismissive sound. "You are far too young and undisciplined for suck a task."

"That... didn't answer anything."

Doom was quiet as he ate more of his meal. After a few moments he added, "You have enough knowledge to impersonate me for a few days, if required."

"You are!" She exclaimed as she rose from her chair. "You've been grooming me to rule your country!" She wasn't certain how she should feel about that. Insulted because of the deception or honored because of his esteem.

"As I said, you are far too undisciplined."

"You've never asked me to rule your country," Amora pouted.

"I would much sooner trust my people to the Trickster," Doom replied. "You know everything about being a princess and nothing of being a queen. Friendship with a prince has left you eternally spoiled and you are too selfish to care about my people if they stood before you on fire."

Skurge glared at Doom. Amora only frowned. "That is rather rude of you to say."

"It is also rather true."

There was another stretch of silence.

"You are very poor at making friends," Amora repeated lifting up her wine glass.

"That may be true. It is very good then that I do not have to worry about having such an inconvenience."

"Hmm. Indeed," Amora replied a with smirk. "Luckily for you, you've only gods and shapeshifters to worry about."

Doom stopped his meal to turn to her. "Do you mean to imply something, Enchantress?"

"Word games are Loki's hobby, not mine," She smiled.

Doom narrowed his eyes. "Yes, they are. Let us keep it that way."

"Oh, of course!" Amora agreed. "As you say, Lord Victor!"

Doom paused again, contemplating the cage. He wasn't certain if it was out of annoyance for the mockery or pleasure at the address. Perhaps it didn't need to be either reason. He was becoming rather fond of it nonetheless.


	24. Loki And Thor Finally Talk

"No more dinner dates with your villain friends," Tony said once they were back in Loki's room.

Loki chuckled. "No need to be so hasty," He said. "All things considered, it went rather well."

"And next time, a little head's up about drugged food would have been nice!" Tony exclaimed.

"I would not have allowed you to eat it if it were truly dangerous," Loki assured.

"That's not the point!" Tony yelled. "Well, that's not only the point. " Tony made a sound of exasperation. "This is what I get, right? For getting involved with a God Of Mischief?"

"It is only downhill from here," Loki agreed, sitting himself on the bed. His smile lessened as he continued. "Though I will say, it was... not what I was expecting, precisely. I did not anticipate that their esteem of me would cause such a reaction."

"What was with that?" Tony asked.

"I failed to take into account that they worship me," Loki said thoughtfully. "Mortals can be rather possessive of their gods, after all. Mystique, at least, probably would not have been so vocal without the truth serum."

"So it wasn't just my food?"

"That would have been inefficient of him," Loki said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It isn't as if he could guarantee what you would and would not eat."

"The fact that you can so easily justify him is a little worrying," Tony said.

Loki barked out a laugh. "I am the god of chaos, Anthony. Victor's tricks and the resulting uproar are absolutely delightful to me."

Tony just sighed, sitting beside Loki on the bed. Loki let himself fall back onto the bed. "I have to speak to Thor," He said quietly.

"Is that why he's here?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Loki answered. "It is why you are both here. Victor meant you to be a distraction to keep me from fleeing the confrontation with Thor, which he means to force upon me for my own good." Loki paused. "I do not wish to talk to Thor."

"I can see why, but you know, he felt terrible about what he said to you. He cursed himself for it not ten seconds after you left," Tony explained.

"Perhaps," Loki replied. "But that is the problem with Thor. I cannot fear what he thinks so much as I fear what he says, for he will always do the one before he does the other."

* * *

Loki was a coward.

Victor had been right to condemn him. He had been right to trap and trick him, to force him to the confrontation with his brother. Loki had already been dealt a blow far too great to wish to face Thor once more without such things.

Victor would never admit that he was a coward, as well. They were weak in the exact same way. They needed armor to pretend that they could not be wounded. Since coming to Midgard, Loki had embraced himself as his own armor. In Asgard, he had to pretend that nothing could touch him. That being a prince, the son of Odin, the brother of Thor, was enough to protect him from hurt. He hadn't had any of those things since coming to Midgard, though, so tricks had to be enough. Loki was a trick, after all, and his body could be armor when he wanted it to be.

Loki was in his female form when he returned to the dinning room. It couldn't hurt not to be Thor's brother, if he couldn't be called a brother at all. And Thor was simple, too simple at times, he would be much too distracted by Loki as a female to remember that Loki was also a monster. Loki had not appeared before Thor in the form often enough for his brother to automatically associate it to Loki, so it would be like tricking Thor into talking to a stranger. Like it wouldn't be Loki at all.

Loki was a coward.

Amora was waiting for Loki when she entered the room. The goddess was seated on the table before Thor, whose eyes still gleamed with her magic. Amora had one foot planted on his chest as if she were about to kick him away, but her hands were gripping tightly at his throat, holding on. Loki thought the imagine suited them well. If only Thor had Mjolnir in hand, his other hand stroking The Enchantress' cheek, it would portray them perfectly.

"You'll need more force to actually do him harm," Loki said as she entered the room. She hovered in the doorway. Distance wouldn't mean safety, Loki knew that words could wound from any distance, they were often her weapon of choice, after all, but the illusion helped. All the illusions helped.

"I know," Amora said. Her hands were shaking where they held onto Thor's throat. Amora was never very hard to read and most times she didn't try to be. Anything she wanted to hide, she usually did so by falling to her defaults, seduction and complaints and vanity, but she couldn't ever hide things when Thor was concerned. Her body language was practically a scream of frustration, she was practically crying, though her face was much more still and steady than Loki had seen in some time when she was in Thor's presence.

"You are looking better, Amora."

"Yes," She replied softly, her grip loosening around Thor's throat. "Doom offered himself at my alter."

Loki's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"

"He does not know it, of course. A favor, he called it!" Amora barked out a laughed. She moved further back on the table, separating herself from Thor entirely. Skurge caught Loki's eyes then, watching intently from the corner of the room, frowning. He wouldn't like this. Not the situation with Thor, not the castle, and not having to share his mistress' attention with mortals. Loki turned her attention back to Amora. "He came to me after Thor's rejection. I told him I needed... and he offered himself."

"Ah. It's no wonder that you are looking so much better. I had thought that Thor may cause too much harm if things went on."

"Thor has already caused too much harm," Amora replied, her voice heavy. "I might have his soul for myself, but I would take his heart for you." Amora turned to look at Loki then. "Only I don't know what he has done to you. I don't know why you've run from Asgard. I still don't know anything, Loki, and I feel as if everyone else does."

Loki's eyes wandered the room then and she began to pace a bit, unable to keep herself still beneath the scrutiny. "Victor is changing, have you noted it?" She asked lightly, changing the subject. "Before we came here, I was sure he would be mine, but he so quickly took to your influence instead. Interesting, isn't it? How they worship us even when we don't try?"

"I am the least of his favorites. Half of me is comprised of his fears. That is what surprises me."

"You think he fears the flesh?" Loki asked.

"I think he fears the passion," Amora corrected. "He wants to keep us here, but he fears to have us close. He wants to open us up and yet hates deeply any moment without his own armor. He acknowledges us as gods and fears being unable to control any situation."

"You know him, then?"

"Of course, I do!" Amora snapped. "He offered himself to my alter, offered everything to me. Of course I took it. I took all the secrets of his flesh. The fears and the passion and the loss of control that any mortal has when being pushed over the edge by a god. It's..." Amora sighed. "It hasn't been this good in years, Loki. I cannot even remember the last time I took a mortal to my alter. To have them and they not break beneath me."

"Yes, I understand," Loki sighed. "Of course I do. I do not know whether the mortals of this time are extraordinary or if we have simply come across extraordinary mortals. Shall you become his patron?"

Amora sighed. "I don't know. It would not be wise for one such as Doom, though I have considered the captain, if things go well. He reminds me of-" She cut herself off and looked away. Loki understood her regardless.

"Yes," Loki agreed. "He does."

"Do not think that you distract me, Loki," Amora told him, turning her back to Thor to watch as Loki paced around the room. She paused a moment, before adding, "He told me... Thor said that he would not love me because I am like you and that he does not need me trying to take your place."

Loki froze in place, turning to look at the other woman. "I... I am sorry," She whispered.

"Right now, I hate Thor more than anyone. And I love him so much it makes me sick. I can only imagine how you feel, afraid and wanting, without knowing what you fear or what you want."

"I want... I want Thor," Loki said quietly. "I want him to be my brother as he always has been. I am unworthy of him now. I am a monster, Amora, and you don't even know it. Before, I was at least worthy to be in the shadow of his sun, to be loved by him. I don't know if I am worthy of anything now, especially not to Thor. I tried to kill him, Amora! I tried to kill him so that Odin would want me. I tried to steal love from our father by giving him only one choice. One son. And all I would have accomplished is that he would have had none."

Amora slid off the table and approached Loki. "You are not making sense again, Loki. You have to tell me the story or I won't know what happened."

"I am not Odin's son!" Loki exclaimed. "I am a Jotunn! I found out... I found out..." Loki stopped unable to continue as she watched The Enchantress' expression. Amora's eyes widened in surprise and she took a step back from Loki.

"What?" Amora gasped.

"The All-father has been lying! I was never his son. I am the son of Laufey! Odin took me, raised me, so that he could place me on the Throne of Joutunheim when the time came. That is why I left. That is why I ran from Asgard. He wanted me to rule them and I refused." Loki allowed herself to slide to the floor, staring at Amora with imploring eyes, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Amora backed up into Skurge, who had come up behind her and wrapped her in his protective embrace. The man was looking at Loki with suspicion. Amora was still just shocked. "But you... you said it was a spell!"

"The spell trapped me in that form, it didn't put me in it," Loki explained. "Amora..."

"How long," Amora whispered. "How long have you known?"

"I learned of it before I came Midgard," Loki told her.

"God of Chaos," She whispered and Loki flinched, feeling the words like a curse.

"Amora!" Thor's voice boomed across the room and they turned to face the Thunder God, freed from Amora due to her own inattention to her spell. Skurge moved in front of her, but seemed unable to decide which sibling posed the bigger threat. "I suggest you contemplate your words before you speak them."

Amora back away from Loki as Thor crossed the room toward his sibling, not wanting to be in the Thunder God's path. Her eyes went to Loki, again. "I will leave you to your talk," Amora told them before she and Skurge disappeared.

Loki watched the spot she vanished from tearfully. Thor was upon her in moments, falling to the floor beside her and wrapping her in his strong embrace. "I didn't know, Loki." Thor's voice was a rough whisper, as if holding back his own tears. Loki couldn't help the need to cling to him. Thor had always been her older brother, after all.

"I wasn't suppose to tell you," Loki said softly.

"No!" Thor yelled. "No more of this, Loki! No more secrets for the All-father's sake. I love you, Loki. You are my brother."

"I am not, though," Loki said, feeling sick inside over the necessary truth.

"Sister, then," Thor corrected, knowing it was not what Loki meant but barreling on anyway. "You have always been family to me, Loki. I need you, Loki. I am too much a fool without you. You have been my best and most loyal friend. I do not know what to do without you."

"But you said-"

"You know that I am no good at words," Thor told her. "So let my actions speak!" He tightened his arms around Loki, embracing her fully. "I love you, Loki. I would never want to do you harm. That father has done so much ill to you kills me. If he was not our father, I would strike him where he stood!"

"He is not.." Loki whispered. "He's not my father. I wanted him to be. I wanted him to love me like he loved you, but he only ever wants to use me. And I can't stop, Thor! I don't know how not to want his love. I don't know how to stop trying to be a good son. Even now, even knowing he wants to send me to that horrible place, to rule monsters as the worst kind of exile, I still want to please him!"

Thor just held Loki closer and said the one thing she didn't expect to hear from him in this situation. "I understand, Loki."

She felt as if a crushing weight had finally been lifted from her. She hugged Thor tightly, clinging, relief like she couldn't fathom how to express flooding through her. She wasn't alone in this. She wasn't hated.

"I missed you," Loki said softly.

"And I, you," Thor replied.

* * *

It was over an hour later that Loki returned to his room with Thor, startling Tony who was sitting beside a Loki clone. "Wha?"

Smiling, Loki waved her hand to dismiss the clone. "My apologies, Anthony, I had to speak to my brother, but I didn't want to leave you alone."

"Not cool," Tony objected vaguely.

"My friend, what are you doing here?" Thor boomed. Loki's eyes looked vaguely wet as she smiled, and Tony noted that Loki was a she again and that Thor was keeping close to her.

"So, you two... made up?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Yes! We have come to an accord!" Thor announced.

Loki didn't correct him, but Tony assumed by the small smile that he wasn't wrong. "I intend to take the two of you back soon, but first I thought that I should inform Thor of my plans."

"Plans?"Thor questioned.

"First, Thor, I thought it imperative to inform you that this form is unknown to your friends and I would like it to stay so," Loki explained. "I do not wish them to panic if I attempt aiding them in this form."

"Very well," Thor agreed. "But tell me Loki, where are we?"

Loki paused a moment. "That is not of importance," She told him. "I would tell you of my planning, if I could count on your silence."

"Of course, Loki! But why use tricks? I am certain if we speak with them-"

"And they are to trust me, why?" Loki interrupted impatiently. "They see me as nothing more than the would-be conquer of this realm. They know me not and trust me little. Any truth I would offer would be dismissed outright or else scrutinized so long it will be of no more use."

Thor considered this briefly. "You are right. Forgive my hastiness."

"I realize that you may be... upset by your earlier interaction with Doom, but I would rather if you would stave off your revenge, as well as taking care when you fight beside your Avengers," Loki began to explain. "The mortals need to hone their own skills in preparation for the coming storm and relying on your strength will do them no favors. In that vein, opposition is beneficial."

"Is that why-?" Tony began, but Loki interrupted him with a curt, "Yes!"

Thor ignored that. "As you say, brother. I shall endeavor to let my comrades fight more."

Loki nodded. "I shall return you both to the Tower, if you wish?"

"Hey!" Tony objected. "When can we..." He trailed off, not sure how to ask about when he'd next see Loki and not sure if he should ask in front of Thor besides.

Loki smiled at him. "Later," She promised. Then they were teleporting away.

* * *

Loki teleported Thor and Tony, along with the Iron Man suit, to the top of the building across from Stark Tower. A warning sound from the suit prompted Tony to step into it, immediately commanding, "Talk to me, J."

"It seems there is an emergency at Shield," Jarvis reported.

"What's happening?" He questioned.

"It seems that there has been a break in from Extremis soldiers and the mutant prisoners are trying to escape."

"Damn."

Loki, or rather Luna, was watching him closely. "What is it?"

"Emergency at Shield," Tony told him. "Extremis, mutants," He shrugged, a completely ineffectual action in the suit.

Loki paused. "You should go to their aid," She told them. "You as well, Thor."

"As you say, Loki," Thor nodded. "Come Man of Iron!"

* * *

Natasha was still in Shield's base when all hell broke lose.

She jumped to attention as an alarm started blaring. Moving quickly, she headed towards the area that the alarm was coming from, running into a few agents on her way. "What's going on?" She questioned.

Melinda May had fallen into step with her, determination in her gait. "There's a break in near the holding cells where the mutants are," She told her.

"Damn," Natasha muttered to herself.

A door exploded off it's hinges right before them and Sabertooth stepped out a moment after with a few Extremis soldiers in tow. Sabertooth smiled at them dangerously. "Hello, Ladies," He said before lunging at them.

Natasha ducked out of the way and Melinda moved to the opposite side of the hallway doing the same.

"We don't have time to play with them," One of the soldiers said.

Sabertooth growled at the soldier, but his focus stayed on the two women as they moved into fight ready stances. "I don't take orders from you!"

"We don't have time-" The soldier began, but Sabertooth wasn't listening. Growling, he leapt at the girls, swiping widely at them both as they ducked away. Melinda went on the offensive, quickly charging at him and dropping down as he tried to swipe at her once more. She kicked his feet out from under him and rolled away as he gabbed for her leg.

"Take the soldiers," Melinda called, but Natasha had already got her fire arm out, shooting at them. The bullets wouldn't be of much use if they healed as fast as she recalled, the shoots had to count.

Before she could shoot however, the gun was ripped out of her hand as were any other metallic weapons on her. Similarly, the weapons on Melinda were ripped away. The other woman turned around in time for a needle to shoot into her neck and within a few moments she was screaming on the ground.

Natasha turned around quickly to see Magneto hovering nearby. "Seems you are outnumbered," He told her calmly. The gun loaded with Extremis was hovering beside him. "I'll give you a choice, girl. I can give you the serum and you can hope you are worthy of becoming one of us, or you can die as one of them. Choose quickly, I am not a patient man."

* * *

Mystique was pouting. Doom knew it well, though she pretended as if she followed him to his lab to actually watch him work. She was sitting at one of his unused tables, head resting on the table top as she stared irritably into space. Doom was content to ignore her. The occupants of his house spent far too much time distracting him from his work.

As if hearing his thoughts, (could they hear his thoughts?) a call came through from the trickster god. Doom tossed the phone in Mystique's direction before returning to work. The mutant seemed to catch it out of reflex, but frowned at him right after.

"You can't be bothered to answer your own phone?" She asked him.

Doom didn't bother to respond.

Mystique gave him another irritated look, placed the phone on speaker, and reached over to his work table to slid it back toward him. "Victor?" Loki's voice called.

Doom sent Mystique an annoyed look she couldn't see behind his mask. "What?"

"There's an incident at Shield. I was going to get you a sample of Extremis to work with, if you are prepared for it."

"Should you be getting involved with them alone?" Doom asked. "I have Doombots in place if needed."

"That will not be necessary."

Doom paused a moment. "When you return, I will have you in my lab. I need baselines for you and Amora and I plan to upgrade your trackers so that I can remotely monitor your stats."

"Such an obsessive man you are, Victor," Loki said lightly.

"Silence!" He commanded. "Do as you will!" He hung up.

Mystique was staring at him. "You're really-"

"I do not need your commentary, Mystique."

She stared at him a while longer before deciding to stay silent.

* * *

Svadilfari kept watch over the mortals that were searching for Loki and he came to a very simple conclusion: Loki was invested in these mortals. His allies sought them out and he could feel traces of the second prince near their dwelling.

The mortals that sought the second prince were not as easily defended as Loki's allies, but he was certain that he could just as easily use them to lure the prince into the open. It was amusing to watch the mortals besides. Though if any of them got in his way again, he was done with playing with them.


	25. Amora Talks To Shield

Loki and Amora handled the reveal of Loki's heritage with all the due grace of hundreds of year old gods- they ignored it completely. Amora returned to the castle the day after she disappeared and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but only during the day. She spent the nights at her apartment, even though her identity as Sharon was already known. Skurge didn't return with her, as if emphasizing the point that she wasn't there to stay.

Loki delivered three Extremis soldiers to Victor and then he and Amora spent the next few days keeping Mystique thoroughly distracted so that she wasn't tempted to go looking around Victor's lab. They were well aware of her fear of being taking apart and her discomfort with Victor's experiments, but that didn't mean that the man was going to stop for that reason and she likely knew that, but there was no reason to bring attention to it.

Raven informed Loki of Hawkeye's request to speak to him, something that he found curious, but also resolved to put off. It wasn't really at the top of his priority list, even if he did intend to try and get on his agent's good side. He was more concerned with Svadilfari, with Tony, with what was happening with Pepper Potts, Victor's progress with Jane and her research, which Victor assured the god he was indeed taking care of.

Magneto and his group had escaped and were laying low again, so Loki resolved to write them off of his list of concerns for now. It did give them a rather decent opening to get 'Lockley' working with Shield again. Raven insisted that she be the one to do it, as it would be more practical for her to do this and work as Skye at the same time. Loki and Amora agreed, especially because it was unlikely that Magneto would immediately return to the government organization that had just recently held him captive. This way, she would be safe and productive. And really, they needed to get over their over protectiveness of her. At least, so she said. She wasn't a child, as she reminded them, and they decided not to point out that even Doom was a child compared to the gods.

Whatever had been holding her up before, Raven had obviously gotten over it and was no longer in a mood to let them "baby her". Amora took this with all the grace of the truly affronted. Loki opted to be more reasonable about the entire thing. Since Victor had taken Raven's vitals and had charted out a workout of her usual readings and such, he had upgraded her tracking bracelet so that he could keep tabs on her condition. In case she found herself injured, but unable to even call for the gods help.

Loki and Amora had helped with this process by doing and saying all sorts of things to get her worked up, angry, and embarrassed under the pretense of not wanting to over react if her heart rate was abnormal, but there was no danger. Raven didn't believe them. Victor was too information hungry to take her side on the matter.

He'd tried doing a similar work up for Loki and Amora, but it required much more in depth information about their biological functions than what either god had particularly felt inclined to share, so he had to contend himself with whatever he had gathered from the cameras around the castle.

After Loki had spent half a day trying to give the mutant tips on imitating others, which they both knew she didn't actually need, but Loki felt like teasing her about anyway, she had retaliated by spending an entire day pretending to be Doom and doing so well that neither Loki or Amora noticed right away. She was eager to have something to do, but Loki felt it better to allow at least a few days to pass so that Shield would not be overly suspicious as to how she found out. They all circled each other with over-protectiveness and irritation in the mean time.

* * *

Natasha found herself highly confused when she woke up in Shield medical. She recognized the white walls and the sounds of a nearby heart monitor. Upon trying to sit up, however, she found herself attached to much more equipment than she thought was standard.

"Ah, you're awake."

It was odd to wake up to Bruce and Shield. The man usually tried to stay out the place whenever possible and Shield medical didn't really take kindly to the Hulk playing doctor. Just as well that the Tower had a med bay.

"What's going on?" She asked immediately.

Bruce was moving away from looking at whatever readings on her he'd been checking, looking her over now. She was patient as he began to shine lights in her eyes and poke and prod her. Bruce generally did as little of it as possible, unless necessary. "Magneto shot you with his mutant Extremis. You've been out for three days."

Vaguely, Natasha could recall that. Melinda May got shot as well, she recalled. She made a mental note to ask after the woman later. She also did an assessment of herself, but she didn't feel any different. "I'm not hot," She commented.

"Yeah," Bruce agreed. "It seems like maybe it didn't take to you. We've been running test, but none of the typical Extremis signs seem to be showing."

"Could the formula have been flawed?"

"It could have been, but it seems to have worked well enough on your friend."

"May?" Natasha questioned.

"Yeah," Bruce replied. "Shield wanted me to... How are you feelings?" He asked instead, changing the subject.

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't question it. For now. "Fine. Normal."

"Good," He nodded. "Magneto and company got away, if you were wondering."

"How long do I have to stick around here?" She asked him.

"Shield will want it's own doctors to look in on you first."

Of course. Shield didn't really trust any of the Avengers. Bruce was too dangerous, Tony too unpredictable, Hawkeye comprised (or so they thought), and Thor's loyalties were unknown. Only she and Steve were remotely trusted, and even that seemed tenuous.

"Oh, you're awake!" The voice from the door caused Natasha to look up.

"Lockley!" Natasha couldn't exactly hide her surprise at seeing the other red head. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that Magneto got free," Lockley replied with a grimace. The woman came to sit by Natasha's side, offering a small smile. "I contacted Coulson about it and after he confirmed, he asked me if I knew anything about helping mutants control their powers."

"Isn't that Xavier's thing?" Natasha replied.

"That's what I asked, too. They don't want to move their people out of Shield if they don't have to. I was worried when I heard that you'd been hurt by whatever Magneto did."

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are," Lockley replied. "Shield wants me to stick close."

"Will you?"

"For now, I think." Lockley offered another tentative smile. "You guys seem to be having a string of trouble lately."

"Yeah..." Natasha replied. "We could probably use more competent people on board." She returned the other woman's smile.

"You could, couldn't you?"

* * *

Stabilizing Extremis turned out to be much simpler than trying to reverse it. Doom had already figured out a fairly reasonably theory for the formula based the research he'd done on the healing stone Loki had gifted him to study and it proved to hold as well as he'd expected it to. That left him one soldier to use to test the bounds of Extremis, since he was well aware that he would not have a similar opportunity once he was given Miss Pepper Potts to operate upon. So if he was to have anything close an accurate assessment of what the woman would be capable of after she was stabilized, or how to take her out if necessary, this was his one chance.

The other soldiers he had to devote fully to removing Extremis from their system and it was highly resistant to... everything it seemed. Not that Doom was going to give up that quickly.

It was odd to have an actual chance to get real work done. Usually, his guest were doing all that was in there power to distract him with whatever trivialities were on their mind, thrusting upon him with some disaster he never had enough time to exterminate fully, or otherwise just being in his way.

But at the moment, they seemed content to leave him to it. He knew, when he bothered to wonder at it, that the reprieve was mostly due to Mystique's unease with his work, but that was rather irrelevant. And it was several days, really, before Doom even noticed how unerringly quiet it was. It was only that Loki had come to inform him that Mystique was off to... well, Doom didn't recall what she was up to, only that it meant that he had to check her vitals every so often. And perhaps the god had also asked about his progress and Doom delegated a Doombot to responded, to which Loki seemed heavily unimpressed.

Doom wasn't over concerned about it, though he did complain about the fact that the god felt the need to destroy his messenger. That had just reminded Doom that he needed to further upgrade his Doombots. Both gods had, at one point or another, offered ideas and spells that he could install onto his Doombots that he'd had no time to work on.

He delegated a Doombot to test the limits of his stabilized Extremis soldier as he worked more on upgrading his Doombots, inbetween trying to break down Extremis on his other test subjects.

Perhaps he was a bit too enthusiastic, but he didn't know when he would get another stretch of uninterrupted time to work.

He had no idea how much time had passed by the time he was finally interrupted.

"Victor." Of course it would be Loki. Amora did not concern herself with him enough to be such a nuisance.

"What?" Doom snapped. The god was lucky he responded at all.

"You've been down here for too long," Loki answered. "If I recall correctly, mortals have to sleep on occassion."

"I'm busy."

"No, you're grounded."

And suddenly he found himself in his master bedroom. Doom turned to face the god, finding Loki grinning at him from the doorway.

"Yes, I know that you intend to object, but I've already magically sealed off the room. I will return for you in twelve hours. There's food on the table. Whether you use the time to sleep or to brood is up to you."

Then Loki was shutting the door.

Doom wondered if his hospitality would be called into question for exploding his guest.

* * *

Amora was basically sulking and she knew it, but she did it anyway. Logically, she knew that it was stupid to think tat Loki was suddenly different just because of his heritage. Logically, she knew that he was no more or less trust worthy than he ever was. Logically, she knew that their friendship did not change because he was suddenly something she didn't understand.

She still felt that it did, though.

It made sense that he wasn't Asagardian. Amora had expected for years for that dirty little secret to come to light. She had expected to find out that he was Vanir, magically inclined as they were, or even half elf. Never Jotunn, though. Never a monster.

But Loki never did what was expeted of him. He was a God of Chaos, after all. He changed things. This was a change that she didn't know what to do with.

"He could have been a spy this entire time," Skurge said. And that was another reason she was having such a hard time with this, Skurge's voice in her ear telling her of all the reasons Loki could be untrustworthy. It wasn't the first time they'd had the conversation. It wouldn't be the last. Skurge could be a little overprotective, when she let him. This was the first time, since the start of their friendship, that she actually entertained her doubts.

"Why would he tell me if that was the case?" Amora argued.

"A change in his game," Skurge replied. "He has to explain why he's fallen out of favor with the All-father. What if this is not even truly him?"

Amora turned an affronted look to her champion. "You think that I do not recognize the God of Chaos? That Thor would not? Loki is his brother, he would have said something."

"Thor can be fooled."

"And I am so easily fooled, as well?" Amora asked. "Why would the queen-"

"The queen may not know."

"Now you are reaching," Amora told him.

"You do not know what he is capable of," Skurge went on. "You may know his magic, but he is not just a mage any longer. He has abilities you cannot know or understand. He has loyalties that you know not."

"That is not true!" Amora objected. "I know where his loyalties lie."

"Do you?" He questioned. "You have been here with him for months and he is only now telling you this."

Amora didn't say aloud that it was probably the better plan on his part. She didn't know what to think of him now and that was the last thing Loki needed. It was good that he was making amends with his brother. Loki didn't need to be alone.

"Arg!" Amora made a sound of frustration as she paced about. She was both suspicious and sympathetic. Part of her feared him and part of her felt the same she always did about Loki. (It was too complicated and comprised of too many things to be summarized as simply friendship or some such.) "I don't know what to make of him," She said.

It was entirely stupid that it should make such a difference, but it did. Loki couldn't be a monster. He couldn't be...

She was going in circles. This wouldn't do. She needed to clear her head. Going in circles and trying to unlearn years of jotunn propaganda was daunting. Especially since she wasn't certain that it was only propaganda.

"I'm going out!" She announced. "You stay here." She changed into her Sharon disguise just as she stepped out the door, a sound of surprise prompting her to look around.

"Sharon!" Steve gasped out, staring at her. He was carrying several bags that she assumed were from the grocery story. "Where have you been?"

Amora blinked in surprise a little longer before she smiled in her usual teasing way. "Have you missed me?"

"Of course!" He answered immediately. "I've been worried. Last time I saw you..." The worry in his voice drifted off and he blushed slightly.

Amora's grin widened. "Why Captain, what are you thinking?" She purred.

Steve's blush intensified. "I really have been worried," He insisted. "How have you been? Are your injuries better?"

Amora's smile relaxed into something more friendly. "I am fine, Captain. My injuries are all healed. I was about to go for a walk. Would you like to join me?"

Steve's face brightened. "Sure! Just let me put these away." Steve disappeared into his apartment for a few minute while she waited. "Alright! Let's go." They began to walk out the building, but Steve reached for her arm to stop her before they left, his expression trouble. "You know, if you're with me, Shield will likely try to come and talk to you."

"Should I be worried about that, Captain?"

"They think that you're working with Doom," Steve confessed. "I told them that I didn't think you were up to anything bad, but they don't believe me."

"I don't think that they'll believe me either, Captain. Still, I'm not worried. Perhaps we should sit down together."

"If anything happens, I'll-"

Amora laughed lightly, pressing her fingers to his lips. "Don't do something foolish for my sake, Steve. Shield wants some of the same things we do, after all. Best to make friends and not enemies." With a smile, she led him out of the building.

"If you don't mind me asking," Steve began quietly, "Is... Is Loki alright?"

Amora paused in her steps a moment. "Loki is also healed," She answered evasively.

Steve nodded, accepting this easily.

"Tell me what you've been up to," She told him. "Anymore dates with Mr. Stark?"

Steve blushed at that. "It's not-" He shook his head. "You're always teasing me, Sharon." He paused. "Or... should I call you Amora?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" She asked.

"Then why are you still..." He gestured toward her appearance.

"It's for the sake of you mortals, mostly. The glamour aides in holding back my power and holding back is always a chore."

"What are you holding back?" Steve asked curiously.

"I am a god, Captain. Did you never wonder what that meant?"

Steve pressed his lips together tightly. "There's only one god."

She smiled indulgently. "Avatar, then, if it makes you feel better. Beings like myself and Loki and Thor, we are Avatars, embodiments of our powers. Mortals are not use to such things, not use to magic. It could be dangerous."

They walked in silence as Steve contemplated this. It was nearly twenty minutes before Agent Coulson showed up. He wasn't alone, of course, but the other agents could not be identified or else remained hidden.

"Sharon Carter," He greeted her respectfully with a small nod. "Shield would like to have a word with you."

* * *

Tony was going to be rather put off with him, Loki was sure. No one in there right mind would consent to letting anyone they cared about be under Doom's power. Kidnapping Pepper Potts would not go over smoothly. Asking permission for Doom to rearrange her genetic material would go over even worse. Loki's plan would not endear him to anyone.

Well, Tony would feel worse if Pepper exploded, he was sure, so extreme methods were reasonable.

Loki tried not to have too much fun as he teleported into the kitchen of Tony's Malibu house. Pepper was standing over the sink when he arrived, back to Loki as he took a seat at the table. He considered using his Luna appearance so that she'd be less frightened, but he really didn't want his female form to be associated with Doom.

When Pepper finally turned around she nearly screamed. "Loki?" Her eyes were wide and fearful for one moment before she covered it with a brave face. Loki certainly appreciated it more than the fearful babbling some people were prone to when surprised and frightened.

"Greetings," Loki said calmly. "How are you today, Miss Pepper Potts?"

The woman's face hardened considerably at his politeness. "If you try anything, the Hulk will be here in minutes. He's right up stairs."

Surprise lit Loki's features a moment. "Is he? I'm surprised he isn't with the others in Stark Tower. Wasn't he helping Tony with your Extremis problem?"

Pepper looked taken aback. "How did you... Oh. Tony did say that you appeared last time."

"Have they made much progress?"

"Why do you care?"

Loki nodded. "I'll take that as a no," He replied. "Well, I'd rather not leave anything to chance, so we should be off now," Loki said as he stood.

Pepper stepped away from him. "Off where?"

"To take care of your Extremis problem, of course." Loki looked at her as if she were being highly unreasonable, taking advantage of her surprise to move forward and take her hand. "Wouldn't want you to explode, after all." He flashed her a smile before teleporting them both to Doom's castle.

* * *

"I do hope that I haven't interrupted any of yours plans for the evening," Loki said as they appeared in the castle. The dinning room table was already set, Victor seated at the table's head. The mortal had (understandably) been quite irate when Loki finally released him from his... grounding. He had also been well rested, however, so Loki did not feel in the least bit bad about it. (Really, after being locked in a cage, it was rather satisfying to turn Victor's trick back on him.) The man had sulked for a bit before he was willing to talk to Loki, but once he did, they agreed that it was time to deal with Pepper Potts.

"Welcome, Miss Potts," Victor nodded at her. "I have been looking forward to meeting you."

The woman looked more wary than she did afraid, though that was there, too. "Why did you bring me here?" She seemed unable to decide which of them was the bigger threat, eyes darting between Loki and Doom.

"You should sit," Loki said as he took his seat. Not to the right of Victor, as he was inclined to do, but further off. No need to make the woman feel as if they were ganging up on her. Not that it wouldn't seem that way regardless, but he thought he should try. "I don't know about you, but dinner would not be remiss with me."

She narrowed her eyes. "You didn't answer me."

"You are here because of Extremis," Victor said. "If Loki has not told you, I plan to stabilize the formula within you. I have already confirmed that I have the means to do so, and you can be on your way as soon as we are done here. This is not a request, you understand, but Loki urged me to be... cordial with you."

Pepper opened her mouth to reply, but Loki interrupted her. "Please do not say anything that you may regret. I do try to keep Victor in line, but he will still be the one to operate on you, not me."

Pepper pressed her lips together tightly. "I'm not hungry," She said stiffly.

Loki sighed. "Suit yourself." He put down his silverware, resigned already to his fate of a late dinner. "Would you rather go to sleep and wake once everything is done, or go into this eyes wide open. I don't think that the process will be very pleasant. Sleep is certainly the easier option."

"Somehow, I don't think it would be very smart of me to consent to being put to sleep," Pepper said.

Loki hummed noncommittally. "I suppose you are right. Well, to your credit Miss Potts, you are making a very good impression."

Victor scoffed, but did not contradict the god.

Loki smirked widely. "Well, if you're sure you don't want the food, we'll just get started." Loki snapped, standing in time to catch Pepper as she fell under the sleep spell he cast.

"I thought you offered her the choice to remain awake," Victor commented idly.

"Yes, but no one should be subjected to you when they are already being operated on. This option is far more pleasant."

Victor only scoffed again as he stood. "Well enough that I do not need to bother hiding my other research specimens. Bring her to the lab and let's get started already."

"You could just take her to a different lab. It isn't as if you don't have more than one."

"I did not ask your opinion."

Loki rolled his eyes and ignored the snappy comment. He carried Pepper down to the lab and resolved to watch until Victor was done. Loki wouldn't dare trust the man alone with someone Tony cared so much about. Tony would be upset with him either way, but it was never better to give Victor free reign if one could help it.

* * *

Amora was almost on her best behavior as she accompanied Agent Coulson to Shield's base. She refused to drop her Sharon appearance. There was no reason to drop the glamour unless she planned trying to seduce all of Shield. Which wasn't off the table, truthfully, but also not the plan. Yet. She liked to keep her options open.

Steve refused to leave her side as they were taken to the base and Amora ignored the agents to give Steve her full attention as they were on their way. She stretched out, completely at ease, throwing her legs over Steve and smiling widely as she watched him blush. She asked him about the shopping he'd done (irrelevant topics to make Shield aware how little she feared him) and made plans to join him for dinner (showing that she had no plans to stay within Shield's compound). She had the demeanor of someone that was being chauffeured rather than detained and she could see that it irked a few of the agents.

It was only once they actually arrived at the base that she gave her attention over to the agents. Well, to Agent Coulson, since she knew he was the one both Lockley's dealt with. She practically draped herself over his shoulders as they walked. Admirably, the man took this in stride. "Don't you think it's a little forward, bringing me back to your place on the first date?" She whispered.

Coulson's lips turned up in a small smile. "I've always favored the ambitious approach."

She grinned. "Fortune favors the brave, as they say."

"As a god, I suppose you would know?" He replied.

"Gods are moved by other forces," She answered him.

When they reached the room they planned to interrogate her in, Steve still refused to leave her side. She admired his devotion. He would make a worthy champion, to any god that chose him. She waited patiently for the questions to begin. Steve sat silently with a disapproving frown.

"I believe you'd appreciate us getting straight to the point, am I right?" Coulson asked. "To put it simply, Miss Carter, we'd like to know what is it you're doing here?"

"You brought me here," She answered cheekily.

"On Earth," He corrected.

"Midgard," She corrected in turn. "I'm here for Loki."

"But why?"

"We're friends of course!" She answered as if that fact should be obvious.

Coulson remained calm in the fact of her unhelpful replies. "What does Loki want here?" He pressed. "Why is he here at all?"

"To right his wrongs," She answered. "And to protect Midgard."

"How does he plan to do that?"

"Well, if you mortals were not so protesting, he would work with you!" She answered, nearly a snap. "He would talk to you, if you would listen. Since you do not, he has spoken to your Avengers." She looked over at Steve briefly. "He thought, if you were not willing to work with him, knowing of the threat would be nearly as good. And keeping your heroes alive whenever possible."

Coulson sat forward, interest peaked. Steve also looked more interested. "Loki wants to protect us?" Steve questioned.

Amora turned to him curiously. "You didn't... I thought that you were aware that he destroyed the creator of Extremis and stopped your Hulk from..."

"So Loki interfered in that matter to save Stark?" Coulson questioned.

"And the civilians," Amora admitted. "Just as he does what he can to protect civilians when Doom attacks."

Coulson narrowed his eyes as he focused on that information. For a moment, Amora wondered if she'd given away some information that she shouldn't have, that would jeopardize Loki's plans. Then he asked a question she'd forgotten to anticipate. "Are you working with Doom?"

She looked taken aback. "What?" Then her surprise cleared and she answered, "No." Because that was mostly true. She didn't have anything to do with Doom's attacks. She didn't help him with his plans nor the execution of them.

"Because you've been seen with him multiple times."

"Yes," She replied. "I stopped him from causing unnecessary destruction once or twice, if I recall."

"You also stopped us from apprehending him."

"That's not the way I see it," Amora told him. "You couldn't hold Doom. You couldn't even hold Magneto. And last time you had him in your base, he caused a rather large amount of destruction."

"You seem to know a lot about us, Miss Carter." His voice was tinted with suspicion.

"Not as much as I would like," She admitted. "Perhaps the future could see more bridges built between us. I do rather tire of this, though, so if there is anything more pressing..."

"There is," He assured her. "I am curious about your association with Mystique."

"She wanted an escape from Magneto. I was trying to help her find it."

"And... Svadilfari?"

Amora's gaze hardened. "What of him?" Her voice was hard as steel.

"That's what I was hoping you would tell me."

"I assume Thor would have told you what he knew," She answered harshly. "It is his father's fault that that man is here. He is a mage. He is powerful. There isn't much more to be said."

"Why does he want Loki?"

"Because he's a sick freak!" She yelled, slamming her hands on the table and standing up.

Steve stood up beside her, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should stop," He told Coulson, giving her worried looks.

"Yes, I think I'm done here," Amora agreed. "You know where I live, obviously. If you want another talk I'm sure you'll let me know. Or you can talk to Steve. I'm sure he'd be willing to relay a message if I was not at home. Now I'm done. Goodbye."

With that, Amora teleported out of Shield and returned to her home.


	26. Pepper's Chapter

Tony told himself he was not going to panic. He would remain calm, be reasonable. There was no reason to worry. None at all. He diligently repeated this to himself over and over as he was on the way back to his house in Malibu. He hadn't been far, but there was an urgency in his return now. Not that he was panicking or anything.

The call from Jarvis and Bruce had come almost at the same time. He was able to calm Bruce down well enough and if he could just do the same for himself, that would be great. It wasn't that he thought Loki would hurt Pepper... He didn't! Really! That didn't mean he thought nothing would possibly go wrong after he had KIDNAPPED HER!

He reminded himself to take deep breaths and whatever other zen crap Bruce did to keep the Hulk at bay. Everything was fine. It had to be fine. Because if it wasn't fine, then that meant that Loki had been using him in order to get close to Pepper. Which was ridiculous, since he could have taken her ages ago if he wanted. Hell, Loki had taken Tony (okay, that was Doom, but Tony didn't want to think about that because it added another layer of panic to the situation to think about it) so maybe it was... how he showed affection! Yeah! This was... This was fine.

Except when he wondered where Loki would possibly take her and remembered that the god was hanging out with Doom of all people. Not good! Not cool. Very bad.

Not that Tony was worried! He remembered that. The not worry. It was... He rushed all the way back to his house.

"Jarvis, show me the footage of Loki and Pepper!"

After watching their exchange, and fighting the urge to be amused at Loki and proud of Pepper for holding her ground (priorities dammit!), he was still undecided on the worry thing. He hadn't even thought about the fact that Loki knew about Pepper being injected with Extremis. Or that he would want to help. Or care to. He supposed he should have considered it, Loki had been involved in the Extremis thing, after all, and he did want to... Well, Tony wasn't really sure what the hell Loki wanted to do. They should probably talk about that...

But it was good! Right? Loki wanted Pepper to not explode. What could be better than a non exploding Pepper? The only problem came when he thought about how Loki would go about doing that. And wondering if Doom would be involved. And trying to firmly tell himself that Loki would not let Doom experiment on Pepper.

Though he did let Doom drug Tony's food. That... shouldn't worry him...

Bruce found him in his lab five minutes later, still trying to talk himself out of panicking. "Tony? Are you alright?"

"Fine. Peachy. Wonderful. Great. Calm, even," Tony rattled off easily. He rambled when he was nervous, didn't he? He should really fix that.

"Tony," Bruce tried to approach him calmly, laying a steadying hand on his shoulder to stop Tony from pacing. He was pacing, wasn't he? He almost didn't notice. "Can you think of any reason for Loki to take Pepper?"

"Extremis," Tony answered without thinking. "He wants to fix her Extremis problem. That's what he said. On the surveillance."

"Does he plan to remove it?"

"I don't know!" Tony exclaimed, before trying to calm himself down. He repeated, more calmly, "I don't know."

"Maybe we should tell..."

"We aren't telling Shield," Tony said firmly. "That's worse than Loki having her." Of that, he was certain. At least Loki didn't have government backing. And if he needed to storm Doom's castle and take Pepper back by force, Thor would probably help him. In fact, he should probably ask Thor. Actually, he should probably ask Loki.

Tony hit himself on the head and groaned aloud. He actually could ask Loki, in a sense. Why didn't he think of this sooner? First chance he got, he was giving Loki a cell phone. It didn't matter if he already had one, either. Stark tech was better than whatever else he had.

"I think I have an idea," Tony said aloud. "I'll... I'll be back." He rushed up to his room.

Unfortunately for him, a certain collection of magical boxes and Magpies seemed more interested in trolling him than being helpful. Tony wondered if the faster option would be blowing up Doom's castle.

* * *

Pepper found herself on a bed when she woke. It took a few minutes for memory to catch up with her, but it all came rushing back when she heard a familiar voice speaking.

"How are you feeling, Miss Potts?"

She sat up swiftly to see Loki sitting to one side of her bed, book in hand. He was smiling at her pleasantly enough and he didn't look threatening, but that didn't make her feel less threatened. She glared at him a little. "You said I could stay awake."

"Hmm. I did, didn't I?' Loki replied lightly. He closed his book and set it aside, giving her his full attention. "I do need to know how you are feeling. I must check that all is well. Victor wanted to keep you in his lab until you woke, you know, but I thought you'd enjoy the comfort of a bed a bit more."

Pepper wasn't certain she agreed. While evil villain laboratories were bad, there was something unsettling about a villain watching her in bed. "I feel fine," She answered curtly.

"You should," Loki agreed. "Victor wanted to do something drastic to test your condition, but I thought that you would object to being stabbed just so that we'd know if you heal without blowing up under the stress."

Pepper wondered if this was some sort of intimidation tactic or if Loki really did't realize how very unsettling he was being. The man walked toward her and Pepper jumped from the bed, moving away swiftly. Loki smiled in amusement before tossing a cell phone onto the bed. "Tony will be worried about you, I gather? You should tell him that you're alright."

Pepper's glare intensified. "What, are you trying to lure him here?"

"Quite the opposite," Loki answered. "I don't want him to be in a panic. We need to keep you a while longer and it wouldn't do for him to drive himself up a wall about your safety. Better he know you are safe and well, if not entirely where you wish to be."

"You think me calling and saying I'm safe in Doom's castle is going to calm him?" Pepper snapped.

Loki sighed and a wistful expression overtook his features. "No... I don't suppose it would." He shook his head, his features smoothing back out into something neutral before he spoke again. "Make the call, if you please. Do you require privacy? I can step outside, if you wish."

Pepper looked suspicious at the offer, but answered, "Yes. I would like privacy."

Loki nodded. "I shall give you ten minutes then. I will be right so outside the door, so please not make any grandiose escape attempts." Then he walked outside, leaving her alone with the phone.

This was too easy, wasn't it? Was the phone a trap of some sort?

She used the phone anyway.

"Who is this and why I don't I already know?" Tony answered in a slightly irate voice.

"Tony?" Pepper said breathlessly. The relief she felt at the call actually going through was almost too immense to handle.

"Pepper! Are you okay? Where are you? How did you-"

"I'm fine," Pepper told him. "At least, I think I am. Loki kidnapped me. I... I don't know where I am, but where ever it is, Doom is here. They... did something to me, I don't know what. Loki put me to sleep. They said they were going to stabilize Extremis."

She heard Tony taking a deep breath before he spoke again. "How were you able to call me?"

"Loki gave me a phone," She answered. She felt slightly better being able to talk to Tony. He would rescue her, of that she had no doubts. "He told me to call you."

"Is he with you now?"

"No. He said he'd wait outside..."

"I want to talk to him."

"What?"

"Pepper, trust me," He said. "Give the phone to Loki. I'll handle it."

Pepper nodded nervously, even though she knew he couldn't see. She wanted to keep talking to him. Maybe until Loki finally barged in and took the phone away. But she trusted Tony to get her out of this. "Don't say anything reckless, Tony."

"When am I ever reckless?" He replied. It was possibly the worst reassurance ever, but nothing could have made her feel better than Tony being his usual self. A small laugh startled it's way out of her as she approached the door.

"I'll hold you to that." The door wasn't locked when she tried it and Loki was standing across the hall as promised.

"Rather bold for an escape," Loki said with a smirk. "Usually, stealth is called for."

"The phone's for you," Pepper said harshly.

Loki seemed unaffected. He nodded and reached out for the phone, then shooed her back into the room before speaking. Pepper wanted badly to eavesdrop, but something told her she wouldn't get away with it. Instead, she settled on her bed to wait.

"Anthony," Loki began, only to be interrupted by the mortal's yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

Loki frowned at the volume, sighing. "I knew that you would be upset with me, but hear me out-"

"You don't ever touch Pepper! You understand me! Never! I don't care why you took her-"

"She's stable," Loki told him. The mortal was silent at that, so Loki went on. "I knew that the Extremis virus was putting her at risk and that you would be unhappy if she were to spontaneous combust, so I've had Victor working on a way to fix it."

"You allowed Doom anywhere near her!" Tony yelled again.

"I was with her the entire time," Loki explained. "I didn't let her out of my sight for a single moment. I had Victor working on this for a while and he tested it before using it on Pepper. I brought him a few test subjects from the break in at Shield a few days ago. I know that you care for her and I do not want to endanger those you care for."

"That's not the only reason," Tony said. "You were planning this before we... before."

"Of course," Loki answered. "Extremis is a powerful thing. The healing factor, the increased strength, as well as the potential control over the element of fire would make Miss Potts a grand warrior if she could control it, wouldn't you say? She is already close to your Midgardian hero group, so I thought that she could be a great asset."

Tony was silent a long moment. "So you just wanted to get to Pepper..."

"No," Loki told him. "That is separate from... Anthony, I realize that I am villain and it does not come naturally to believe me, but I have not lied to you yet. I had no need to get close to you to get to Pepper Potts. If anything the worry over your reception to the deed is more hindrance than anything else. I realize that we have yet to... clarify what we intend to... There is much to be discussed, but now is not the time."

"I want to see Pepper."

"I was hoping to... ascertain our success before releasing her."

"Bring me there."

Loki paused. "Are you certain? You wish... Is it your wish to tell her of our association?"

"Yes. How soon can you-"

"Right now," Loki answered from behind Tony, startling the mortal. Tony turned wildly to face him. "Jesus! You can't just... You'll give me heart attack, you know."

Loki's lips curled up into a smile. "My apologies."

Tony took in the sight of Loki and started to relax a little. Not that he had been worried, of course.

Loki held out a hand. "Come, Anthony."

Tony took his hand.

* * *

Pepper definitely had a problem with this, but she didn't know what to do about it. Usually she would yell. Yelling usually made her feel better. The sight of Victor Von Doom in his armor sitting at the head of the table prompted her to hold her tongue, though.

Loki seemed positively cheerful as he talked to... himself? sitting across the table from him. Doombots were serving the food and Tony was sitting at the end of the table closest to her, beside where she had sat last time. The situation definitely called for yelling. Instead, she sat down beside Tony and whispered urgently, "What are you doing here? What's going on?'

"Well, I talked to Loki and asked him to bring me here. So... here I am!" Tony announced proudly.

That explained very little. Pepper didn't really have the chance to object.

"Loki tells me that you seem well," Doom said, a hint of a question in the words.

"Yeah," She replied quietly. Then, deciding that timidity never helped anybody, asked, "What's going on here?"

"Dinner," Loki answered smartly. "Extremis burns through your reserves, you need to eat to keep up your strength."

"After we dine, I would like to do a few test-" Doom began, but was interrupted.

"Absolutely not!" Tony objected.

"I was not asking your opinion, Stark," Doom replied harshly. "As I was saying, I would like to do a few test to assure that all is well."

Pepper looked around at them all a moment. "I... What the hell is happening right now?" She finally yelled.

"Your manners leave something to be desired, Miss Potts," Doom said disapprovingly. "With all I'd heard about you, I was expecting more."

"Now who's being rude, Victor?" One of the Loki's scolded, the other busily picking through his food. He turned toward Pepper. "Miss Potts, I know that this may be difficult to believe, but what is happening right now is dinner. Which you should eat."

"I think she meant big picture, Loki," Tony said.

"Well, if I may be transparent?" Loki began, looking to Pepper for permission to continue.

"Um, yes," Pepper answered.

"You are here so that you can have Extremis stabilized, become a hero of Midgard, and hopefully help fight of an alien invasion in the future." Loki smiled widely at her. Pepper just... stared. "Of course, we are not planning to force you to fight, but we would like you to be able to defend yourself and possibly others if needed."

"Are you... trying to make me a villain?" Pepper asked.

"No, no." Loki shook his head at that. "There are enough villains on Midgard. If that is your preference, however, feel free. I certainly have no plans to stop you."

"Is this... Is this real?" She asked Tony.

"It's real," Tony answered. "Loki wants to help. Doom... um... well, I don't know what he wants, but I promise not to let either of them hurt you." He looked over to Loki a moment and asked, "By the way, why are there two of you?"

The Loki that was talking to them smiled. The other had been speaking with Doom, but now turned to them. "You are not amused?" He asked. "I thought it would be amusing. I wanted to fill out the table a little. Dinning with so few is... something I've become unaccustomed to lately." His voice was sad a moment, but perked up as he added, "I thought I would make a better addition than Doombots. They are terrible conversationalist."

"Perhaps they would not be if you did not always interrupt my work," Doom snapped.

"Yes, yes." Loki replied dismissively.

Pepper, while still confused, thought that maybe she understood the situation slightly better. Enough to at least begin eating. Whatever was happening must have been Tony's fault and putting the strange situation in that context, she could handle. She'd cleaned up Tony's messes before. She'd find a way to handle this. Whatever it was.


	27. Loki Talks Results May Vary

Tony was used to making things up as he went. Plans were boring and inflexible things, way too typical for someone like Tony Stark. Making things up off the top of his head was what he'd always done. Arguably, it was what he did best. That said, he was starting to think that that wasn't the best plan with Loki. It was what he'd been doing with Luna, and that had worked well enough, but he'd also had no idea what was going on that whole time. Probably not the best approach to the situation, seeing as not a week after Loki and Tony became... whatever they were, the god had kidnapped Pepper.

Pepper was in a room not far from Loki's. Tony assumed that the room Loki lead Tony to was his own, at any rate. As soon as he was in the room he turned to face Loki.

"Okay, so, we should probably talk about a few things," Tony said.

Loki grabbed him and pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. "I hope that you are not too cross with me. I assure you that your friend has not been harmed."

"I believe you," Tony answered. "In the future, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me before you kidnapped my friends."

Loki smiled, stroking Tony's hair. "I am sorry. I would have told you, but I didn't want you to try and stop me. I knew that you would not agree to letting Victor anywhere near your friends."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll let it go this time. He did actually help. Seriously, though, Loki, I need to know what the hell you're doing."

Loki sighed. "I am not use to trusting others with my full plans," He admitted. "It was months before I told Amora the true reason we were even on this realm."

"Your goal is to save Earth, isn't it? You can trust me with that."

"I plan on manipulating a lot of your people, Anthony."

Tony moved back enough to meet Loki's eyes. "As long as you don't hurt the people I love, we can manipulate whoever we need to."

Loki's eyes widened a little at the statement before he replied. "Tell me who is on this list of untouchables."

"Pepper, Bruce, and Rhodey," He answered immediately. "I don't have many friends, so no one is allowed to mess with them. I hate people touching my stuff."

"I do not believe I have met the last on that list," Loki said. "But I shall do my best not to harm one of yours."

"I'll introduce you sometime. He's my best friend."

"Ideally, I would not harm any of Midgard's heroes. We'll need an army if we can get it, after all."

"An army?"

"An army approaches. We'll need as many as possible to fight it off."

Tony stared at Loki. "You say things like this way too calmly."

"Nothing gets done if I panic at every inconvenience," Loki answered. The god pressed a kiss to Tony's head before retreating to sit on the bed. "I am not certain that I can trust you with all of my plans just yet. You do not trust Victor and he is a rather large part of most of my plans."

"He doesn't have to be," Tony replied, almost petulantly. "I'm sure I could do whatever he can."

"You could not cure Extremis."

"I was close! All I needed was more time."

"Are you willing to turn your Iron Man suits into an army and attack your friends?" Loki questioned.

Tony hesitated. "I could..."

"But you do not wish to," Loki concluded. "That is one of the reasons I need Victor. Your Avengers are not well tested. Not individually and not as a team. They need opposition and he is willing to provide it. You need to be a perfect machine by the time The Mad Titan arrives. You cannot afford less."

"And that's why you told Thor to let us fight for ourselves. And why you told him to leave Doom alone."

"Yes," Loki told him. "It is also the reason that I have not reached out to that other group of Midgardian heroes. There are four of them...?"

"The Fantastic Four?"

"Yes. Victor said he would kill one of them and I thought it best not to take the chance of one of them being killed at a critical moment. Or the suspicion and loss of trust that could happen in the fallout once everyone took to their sides."

"Alright, I get that."

"I plan on uniting every force on Midgard that I possibly can. Your Avengers, Shield, any heroes or villains that can be convinced or manipulated to the task," Loki went on. "On any of the other realms, this would be an easy task. They are no so divided as this realm insist on being, none so vulnerable. But I will not let anyone hold me from my task."

"So what are you planning to do exactly?" Tony questioned. Loki insisted on talking in broad strokes, but Tony was determined to get something out of him.

Loki hesitated longer than he planned to. It couldn't be wise to tell too much of his plan. Variables acting alone often caused failure. He could hardly count the number of times Thor and Sif and The Warriors Three had caused his plans to go awry by giving away his strategy or deciding to move ahead more quickly than told because they thought Loki's plan too tedious. At least until he stopped telling them his plans altogether, then the success rate increased tremendously, even if their esteem of him and his tricks plummeted.

"I'd like Pepper to have a good hold of her Extremis abilities before she leaves here," He eventually answered. "Just cautionary. She may not wish to be involved in the fighting, but her abilities could prove volatile if she becomes stressed without knowledge of how to regulate them."

"Alright. And?"

Loki hesitated again. "I planned to aid Victor in improving his magical skills."

Tony didn't look fond of that idea, but held his tongue on the matter. "So train the Avengers, help Doom with his mojo, get Pepper squared away. That's all?"

"Of course not," Loki replied quickly.

"So, not going to tell me about the rest?"

"I have a few more alliances in the works," Loki replied cautiously.

Tony really didn't like the tentative way Loki seemed to be regarding him. He walked to the bed so that he was standing right before the god, meeting his gaze and asking, "What do you need me to do."

Loki held his gaze a moment before reaching out, placing a hand on his cheek. "What I need from you, as a warrior, is to become stronger. Cultivate your Avengers, bring them closer to each other, and bolster your own defenses."

"Alright. As a warrior." Tony nodded. "What do you need from me?" He repeated.

Loki wrapped his arms around Tony's waist and pulled him close, leaning his head on his mortal. "I do not know," Loki admitted after a moment. It wasn't the complete truth. What he wants are mostly things that he's gotten from his mortal allies; Trust, worship, companionship, things he wasn't able to get, not even in part, from Asgard. He isn't certain that he could ask for that though.

Tony sighed, petting Loki's head. "You have to come to my workshop in a few days," He told him firmly. "I'm going to make you a phone."

Loki smirked. "I have a phone. Several in fact."

"Whatever you've got, mine will be better."

Loki chuckled. "Confident mortal."

"What do you need several cell phones, for?" Tony questioned.

"Mostly to keep Shield from tracking me if I happen to be in contact with them. Not that they are aware it's me."

"I could build you much better security," He scoffed.

"So you could," Loki agreed. "All for the better, I suppose. I've left them unguarded a time or two in the castle and I'm fairly certain that Victor has them bugged by now."

"Why do you put up with that?"

"It really is no matter to me," Loki answered. "If I had need to keep secrets, I could use magic to assure them or else return to one of my apartments for a while."

"How many do you have?"

Loki smirked. "Enough. One should never keep all their resources in one place."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very paranoid?" Tony asked him.

"Yes," Loki answered. "Of course, that person later tried to kill to me."

"Good point," Tony nodded, deciding he needed to work on Loki's phone as soon as possible. Not being able to talk to him whenever he wanted to was unacceptable.

* * *

Pepper wasn't sure whether she was a prisoner or a guest. On the one hand, she couldn't leave, that was a fact. Doom had told her, directly and succinctly, that she was not permitted to leave until he was done examining her. (Examinations consisted mostly of watching her trying to use her power and Doom making notes before disappearing.) On the other hand, Loki had presented her with her work laptop so that she could still take care of Stark Industries work. Together the two seemed to be sending rather strong mixed messages.

"Anthony has left," Loki said from behind her, causing her to jump at his sudden appearance. One thing she did not think she would ever get used to was his ability to appear out of nowhere. She'd only been in the castle for a few days, but of this she was certain.

"Don't you knock?" She snapped at him as she closed her laptop.

"Not typically, no," Loki replied wryly. He took a step closer to where she was seated at the desk in, what she supposed, was her room, now. "Are you calm at the moment, Miss Potts?"

A villain, holding her captive in another villains castle, wanted to know if she was calm?

"Considering the circumstances? Yes." She deadpanned.

Loki nodded. "Anthony thought it best if I were the one to inform you, since you have yet to get a handle on your Extremis abilities."

"Tell me what?" She asked suspiciously. She knew, had known for days, that she was not going to like when she finally got a proper explanation for her hold in Doom's castle.

"Anthony and I are romantically linked," Loki told her without preamble.

Pepper assumed that she was not taking this well, by the way her temperature rose and her clothes caught fire. She was sitting perfectly still, staring at the god, perhaps in shock. The chair, curiously enough, did not catch fire.

"Hmm, I should tell Victor to create fire proof clothing for you," Loki mused. "Or perhaps a few spells would do."

Pepper should care that she was standing before someone considered a god, that attempted to take over the world, that was allied with Victor Von Doom. She didn't though.

"What?" She yelled as she shot up from her seat.

"He said that you might not take it well." Loki grinned widely at her. "Of course, he also claimed that you were immensely important to him and not to be lied to, so in good faith, I suppose I should tell you that this is not exactly new information to you."

"What is that suppose to mean?" She yelled. "How! When?"

In answer, Loki shifted to the form of Luna. "I'm certain that you remember me," She said with a smile. "I was under the impression that we had gotten along fairly well."

"You..." Pepper's brain stuttered a moment as she took this information in before her outraged flared back up. "Tony's been sleeping with a villain for-"

"No, no. We were hardly sleeping together then. It was my plan not to do so at all, but I find Anthony rather irresistible."

Pepper glared at him. "Is that a joke?"

"Why should it be?" Loki replied.

"Look, I don't know what your game is, but if you hurt him, I will destroy you. Even without having to use Extremis."

"It is good to know that you are willing to defend his honor, seeing as he demonstrated the desire to defend yours as well. However, I have no wish to play games with Anthony, and if you ask, I will tell you precisely what I want from him."

"Then tell me," Pepper insisted.

"I want Anthony to belong to me," Loki told her. "I want him to worship me. I want to know everything about him and all that he is. I want him to trust me and to love me and to allow me to keep him. I want his passion and creativity and wit and intelligence." Loki paused before adding, "I also want him to help me save the world, but that is a rather separate matter."

Pepper was a little thrown off by the apparent honesty and intensity in his answer. Then the last part of his statement caught up with her. "What do you mean, save the world?"

Loki took a seat upon her bed. Pepper had calmed down, even if she didn't seem to notice, and Loki waved a hand to summon new clothes to replace the other woman's mostly singed ones. "Now this a conversation I was looking forward to having with you, Miss Potts."

* * *

"We can't seem to find anything abnormal," Simmons said as she typed on her computer. She was checking and double checking result, Fitz doing similar work at her side as he looked over blood samples for signs of contamination. "Melinda showed signs immediately."

"Is it possible that it just didn't work?" Bruce questioned. It came out a little more irritable than he intended. He'd been in and out of Shield too often the last two weeks between trying to do work for Shield and dealing with Pepper and her Extremis problem. A problem that had apparently been fixed, even though Tony refused to tell him how or why Loki had kidnapped her or how he'd resolved that situation. The irritation he felt for his friend and that he felt for Shield were rebounding on one another. "It effects people differently, right?"

"That's only conjecture," Simmons said.

"And it's odd that we can't find any sign of it in her blood or any evidence that it entered her body at all, despite the fact that she clearly had a physical reaction to it," Fitz added.

"Have you considered leaving it alone?" Lockley spoke up. She wasn't, technically speaking, suppose to be in here with them. But she had taken it upon herself to stick close to Natasha and Melinda when possible, or Loki's agents when it wasn't. It made any contact she had with them as Skye go much smoother when she knew how to handle them.

Melinda May was being almost constantly poked and prodded as they tried to study her new mutation and it made Raven angry and sick in turns. As Skye, she had begun to hint that she could help her if she wanted out of Shield, without the baggage of working with Loki, as they were all worried about. Winning the woman's trust was the first step, after all.

Incidentally, the tests done on Melinda and, less intensively because of a lack of results, Natasha, seemed to be pushing Fitz and Simmons similarly to the brink. They were in turns eager and hesitant about what they were doing. Bruce Banner's discomfort and refusal to take part in the more unsavory explorations of Melinda's new power seemed to encourage their discontent.

Raven was using all her will power not to let any of her revulsion show on Lockley's face.

"We can't leave it alone!" Simmons objected, looking utterly put out at the thought.

"Director Fury would have our heads!" Fitz added.

"Yes, well, if you keep it up you may end up taking hers," Lockley said bitterly.

They were all quiet in the wake of that statement.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm going to recommend that this stop. I can't be apart of this if they're just going to keep going further and further. I don't think The Other Guy can take it."

"It isn't as if we don't recommend that this be let go," Simmons replied, almost offended.

"That's not the same as refusal to do it," Lockley said.

They became quiet again. She had a knack for guilting them, though it had yet to be enough to make them stop. She couldn't stop wondering if Loki would be very angry with her for destroying Shield in righteous indignation. Or just killing Director Fury.

"Agent Coulson is coming," Bruce warned her. They all knew she wasn't suppose to be there and had taken up the kind habit of keeping look out for her.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm leaving," She said. It was just as well. Skye had a secret meeting with Grant to get to anyway. Out of them all, he seemed to take to her the best. He was more openly suspicious, but also much more curious. He also seemed to respond well to their sparring sessions, taking each round as proof of her worthiness, even when she let him win.

Well, sooner or later something would give. She just didn't know who would be first to crack.

* * *

Keeping track of Raven was very easy with all the work that Doom had gone through making her tracker. Loki knew that she was absolutely fine. That didn't mean that it wasn't the slightest bit annoying having to wait so long to have the chance to speak with her. She spent nearly all of her time in Shield's base and between her playing the part of Lockley and Skye, there was very little time for her to update him on their situation.

What he did learn, when she was finally able to talk freely, was very interesting. His agents were strained, the Widow had been altered in some way that Shield was unable to yet determine, and Amora had (apparently) had a talk with Shield.

All things considered, the mortals were right on the edge of being over ripened fruits, ready for the picking.

He gave Raven the location of one of his extra residences in case his agents wanted to go somewhere 'off the grid' to hide from Shield, telling Raven to otherwise just take them to the place she had before used. It was important to have the options laid out in advance. They were dealing with spies, after all. Hesitation would mean failure.

After he and Raven had finished, he decided that now was the perfect time to put in his call to Hawkeye. The man had desired to speak with Loki and he was probably tangled up in knots over the potential danger of The Widow's situation. She had been well trusted, but she also was a source of research, now. They couldn't find anything about what the mutated version of Extremis had done to her, but that only meant that they would eventually try to look deeper, especially if Agent Melinda May decided to make herself unavailable as a stand in any longer.

Loki didn't think he could have lined the pieces up any better himself.

"Who is this?" Hawkeye answered immediately.

"Hello, Agent Barton," Loki greeted coolly. "I received word that you wanted to speak to me."

* * *

Clint had no idea why he thought that it was a good idea to talk to Loki of all people. He had no idea why he even wanted to. Maybe it was some remnant of mind control or he was just losing it.

The sound of Loki's voice almost prompted him to panic. Shield already thought he was a traitor and now he was a having a conversation with the guy he betrayed them for. He'd be utterly screwed if they found out. The Avenger's would probably be pissed at him. Natasha would flay him alive.

That thought actually firmed up his resolve a bit. He didn't trust Loki. How could he trust someone that had literally taken his free will away from him? But when given control over him, Loki had done a lot less to hurt him than Shield had. They had a common enemy in that way. And though it hadn't happened yet, Shield was probably on it's way to becoming a threat to Natasha. He didn't trust Loki, but he also didn't think the guy had any interest in tearing one of the people closet to him to pieces.

"No need to reciprocate the greeting," Loki went on after letting the silence stretch a while. "I'm certain you'd rather not have to speak my name aloud for whatever monitoring devices Shield has on you."

"I'm at the Tower," Clint responded quickly and then wondered what the hell difference that would make to Loki. It wasn't as if he knew about what Clint had been through since the invasion. Wasn't as if he knew that the Tower was the only place he felt even remotely safe from Shield. For now, anyway. It probably wouldn't last if Tony let him stay full time. Neither of them was exactly well trusted.

Contrary to all of Clint's thought, Loki responded with a knowing calm. "Ah, somewhere safe then. Well, please continue with whatever you like."

"You utter asshole!" Clint exploded. "Where do you get off acting like you know anything! Ordering me around as if-" Clint stopped, the words getting caught in his throat.

"Ah, I suppose this is long overdue," Loki sighed. "Agent Barton, this will not likely mean much to you, but I shall say so anyway. I apologize for the trouble you have been caused on my behalf. I know that my words mean little to you, but I would like to make amends if possible. If I can soothe your anger or fear with any action of mine, I would certainly like to try. Within reason, of course."

That actually upset Clint more, even though it was mostly perfect for what he wanted. He wanted some way to keep Natasha safe from Shield and he'd use Loki to do that if he had to, but the expectancy of the statement ticked him off regardless. Still, he chose to reign it in. No need to be counterproductive.

"There is something that I want," Clint said.

"Yes, there is something that I want as well," Loki said. "Not a condition, mind you, just your consideration. You know well that I have no ill intent for your realm, quite the opposite, really. Working ill at ease with others makes things much more difficult, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm not going to work for you again."

"That is not what I meant to imply," Loki corrected. "What I mean, is that we need not be enemies. We need not be direct allies, if you prefer, but in the future, if I work with the Avengers, I'd rather know that we do not have a problem."

"I want you to protect Natasha from Shield," Clint said abruptly. After a moment, he continued. "I don't want her to have to experience any of what I did." Not again, he thinks but doesn't say. He knows that it wouldn't be the first hardship of Natasha's life nor even the worse, with what the Red Room put her through, but he wants to protect her none the less.

Loki is silent for a while before he answers. "What do you suggest that I do?" He asked. "It is not really my place to help her if she is where she wants to may have such rights as her friend, but I do not, and keeping the Widow any place she does want to be will likely prove a daunting task."

"Don't let them take her!" Clint said insistently. "I know she doesn't want to leave them now, but if she does..."

"Well, you will have to be the one to tell me when such a time comes. I do not have such direct watch over the Widow."

"How?"

"The same as last time," Loki told him. "Contact Skye and she shall contact me."

"Pretty indirect."

"Would you like a direct line of contact with me?" Loki asked.

The idea itself made him nervous of what Shield would do (this time) if they found out. "No."

"Then that is the way it shall be done," Loki concluded. "When you change your mind, you may have a more direct method. Or if circumstances change. Until then, Agent Barton."

Clint wasn't sure whether he felt relieved or even more worried.


	28. Boss Fight (Svadilfari Edition)

It wasn't often that Natasha and Tony were in the same place at the same time, especially when there wasn't an Avengers related reason for them to do so. The spy spent most of her time at Shield, but since Hawkeye had all but moved into Stark Tower, she made more appearances. Tony hadn't gone out of his way to have much to do with her. Aside from not trusting the woman that pretended to be is assistant while actually working for a spy agency and that said agency was Shield, which couldn't be trusted as far as you could throw it, everything about her seemed to rub him the wrong way.

Since talking to Loki, he was thinking about trying to change that. Loki wanted the Avengers to be a team, that meant more than just working together. Tony had made an effort to get closer to the others. Bruce already lived with him and he went out of his way to bother Cap every now and again, but even though Thor and Hawkeye both lived both lived at the Tower, he didn't really know them very well. Natasha even less.

The trouble with trying to get closer to a spy was that she was far too perceptive. Tony was keeping more secrets than usual now and trying to keep them from her while also trying to befriend her seemed impossible. On the one hand, the team as a whole seemed more sympathetic to Loki than not, but on the other hand, Shield probably wouldn't care.

The notable thing about Natasha's appearance in the Tower now was that she seemed to be particularly in a bad mood. She sat on the common floor he kept for the Avengers looking distinctly irritated. After watching her sulking for a while, he finally decided to just ask Clint what her problem was.

"Cap got sent on a mission without her," The archer answered.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "What's the big deal about that?"

"She's been on every mission they've given him so far," Clint shrugged. What wasn't said, but Tony could easily infer, was that she was suppose to keep an eye on him. The fact that Steve was sent alone either meant they were no longer keeping an eye on him or that they no longer trusted her. Tony had a feeling it was probably the latter. "Also the new girl got to go, so she's a little upset about that."

"New girl?"

"Some mutant that helped with Magneto before," Clint answered. "Coulson's been handling her, but Nat was keeping close as well. She's a little sore that they're cutting her out. Hill was sent on the mission with them instead."

Tony took a moment to consider that. He knew about what had happened in the aftermath of Magneto's breakout from Shield's, not that anyone had bothered to tell him about it. (He had pouted and given Bruce the silence treatment for an entire day after he'd hacked Shield and learned of the man's involvement, which would have been more effective if the man had at all noticed.) It made sense that Shield would be a bit skeptical about one of their top spies after she suffered an unknown injection, Tony just hoped that it would work out in his favor if it caused her to break away from Shield.

"Wait, why did a new agent get to go if they're still keeping an eye on her?" Tony asked. "Who is she?"

Clint shrugged. "Goes by Lockley, has some history with the guy, but I don't know anything else. Obviously." The last part was added with a bitter undertone.

"Hey!" Tony said cheerfully, hoping to cheer the archer up a bit. "We should do something fun! We should all go out somewhere!"

Clint shook his head, but looked amused. "That's your solution?"

"It's a good solution!" Tony replied.

* * *

Raven was out of practice with telepathy.

Loki had encouraged Raven to talk to Charles and make nice with the other mutants. She was reluctant, not only because of the way things had ended between them, but also because of the general awkwardness that was left to their relationship. And dealing with his students was much more enjoyable when she was trying to subdue them than trying to make nice. But Loki thought they could be useful and she did have to agree.

Not to mention that Raven had learned her lesson about letting humans try to deal with Magneto. (Not that she ever really had faith in humans to begin with.) So after reaching out to Charles and giving him (reluctant) permission to speak to her mentally, she told him about what was currently happening. As Lockley, she thought it unwise to have their conversation via phone, so she made the concession of telepathy. After all these years, she'd learned how to shield her mind, but that wouldn't make much of a difference if Charles was determined.

She wasn't certain what was more irritating to her; that he didn't seem surprised about her coming to him, that he seemed at least partially appraised of the situation already, or his general willingness to take her back. Charles' optimism and trust had always been something of a sore spot with her. First when it was at odds with her own cynicism involving humans and then with his inability to completely distrust Magneto. (Not that she was free of that particular sin, but still!)

He was still as cheerful and kind as she remembered and she half hated him for making her miss him a bit. She half hated him for changing enough that he was actually cautious about working directly with humans when he never listened to her arguments on the matter. She half hated that he was calm and understanding and even after everything that had happened, he was doing what he had always wanted and she was still forced to hide in plain sight.

Overall, this mission was making her bitter.

She had no idea what Magneto thought he was trying to prove at this point. Something involving Extremis and the president and the entire thing was one big confusing cluster.

Captain America kept trying to be nice to her (reminding her of Charles!) while Maria Hill gave hers suspicious looks that she was all too used to. Agent Coulson seemed as unflappable as usual and he proved the better option if she chose to speak to any of them. She was a little irritated that Black Widow wasn't with her and no matter what reason they gave her for the woman's absence, she knew that it was because of the woman's new status as a mutant. Shield didn't want to have to keep an eye on Lockley and Black Widow at the same time and Lockley had already proven to have a specific vendetta against Magneto.

That the army ended up involved only soured her mood further. She didn't think that there was any part of this mission that didn't involve something she hated. That fact was proven when she met War Machine, her entire impression of him colored by the fact that he was friends with Tony Stark who had the audacity to think he was good enough to date a god.

She took out her frustrations by utterly destroying everyone she could in Magneto's Brotherhood. It helped that she felt entirely vindicated that he didn't know she was the one taking him down.

She assumed the president came out fine, but that wasn't really her priority.

"Hey, good work out there," Captain America said to her. His sincerity rubbed her the wrong way and so did Charles' voice in her head encouraging her to 'be nice' and 'make friends.' She knew she shouldn't have let him into her head. Already he was trying to be a bad influence on her. She bit her lip to keep from responding with some biting comment. Lockley was suppose to at least seem co-operative and Amora liked him, so there had to be something decent about him.

Under that argument, though, the same could be said about Tony Stark, which she refused to accept. That thought had her nearly scowling.

Her only saving grace was that Charles hadn't told them that she was part of the mission, so no one went out of their way to (irritate) talk to her. If Logan hadn't been preoccupied with Creed, he probably would have noticed.

Some woman was being carted away for crimes against the president, Maya something, which she only noticed because of a debate between the army and Shield as they were deciding who was keeping her. Magneto had, of course, escaped, but without any of the Extremis injections he'd had with him, without any Extremis soldiers, and with only half of his brotherhood. If nothing else, this would keep him crippled for a while. (She tried not to be hurt by the fact that so much of his plan had been kept from her. She had thought that she was more trusted than that and the truth of the matter that she was just as much a pawn as anyone else stung. Charles could commiserate with her, but she wasn't willing to outright state that she was wrong, so she bottled that thought away to herself.)

Maria Hill spent an extended time talking to Storm, but whether it was interrogation or something else she couldn't tell.

"That was some battle," Jean said to her in a congratulatory manner. "You were great out there."

"I know," She answered without meaning to. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to renew her resolve not to talk to any of them.

"I never expected to see you working for the good guys," Jean added.

Raven glared at her at that, practically snapping her answer. "I've always been working for the good of mutants."

"That came out wrong," The red head said, back tracking. "I meant that it's good to see you doing something a little less extreme."

"I don't need or want your approval," Raven told her. "Though maybe if Charles had you doing something more extreme, you'd actually be making progress instead of hiding away at the institute."

The woman frowned, clearly getting upset and trying to hold back her retort. She either had good control of her temper or Charles was intervening, either way, Raven decided to end the conversation there.

She wondered if Loki would be disappointed in her. She was suppose to be making nice with these people, after all. At least she wasn't making a bad name for Lockley with Shield. After thinking about it for a moment, she decided to find Coulson. They probably wouldn't appreciate her interrupting Hill's talk with Storm, but she was the only mutant that Raven hadn't met before breaking with Magneto. Whatever connection they had, she could break it and better to try and get one for Loki than losing her Charles' team.

* * *

Tony had come to the conclusion that Natasha was a kill joy. Not that he hadn't already thought that, but it was even more pronounced now as he continually tried to offer suggestions for going out and she continued to turn him down.

"You are a difficult person to get along with," Tony told her.

Natasha just rolled her eyes at him. "Talking about yourself, Stark?"

Tony had a snarky reply ready, but a very unexpected voice interrupted him.

"I was expecting him to have showed up by now." They all jumped to their feet, turning to stare at the newly appeared Svadilfari as he watched them. "I've seen the second prince watching you all before, protecting you. I suppose the only way to draw him out at this point is the direct approach." He summoned dark red energy into his palm. "I hope you won't make it too easy for me."

"Shit. Jarvis!" Tony yelled out. Then the sound of the windows breaking drowned out everything else, the glass shattering outward as a dark red wave of energy filtered through the room.

Clint was already picking up his bow and aiming it at Svadilfari. Natasha backing away and reaching for her own weapons as Tony waited for his suit.

Svadilfari had eyes on the assassin as he slowly approached her, a dangerous smirk on his lips. "Let's start with you, shall we?"

Arrows were already speeding toward the Vanir, but a burst of red energy destroyed them all. He looked curiously at the archer, before shooting a blast of red energy at him and knocking him out of one of the glassless windows.

"Clint!" Natasha screamed, rushing toward the ledge. Iron Man was flying out the window by the time she was able to look over the edge, rushing toward Clint.

"I thought so," Svadilfari said and Natasha quickly spun to face him. "I told you, didn't I? How beautiful you would look with fear in those eyes."

Rage filled her in an instant and she had daggers in both her hands.

"What would it take to earn your tears, my beautiful one?" He continued as if her anger meant nothing to him. "His death, perchance? Yes, that would do it. I will leave you for last, then. Something to play with until the little prince finally shows. Do wait for me." Then Svadilfari was gone.

Natasha stood, seething in her anger a moment before she heard the sounds of battle outside. "Jarvis, we need Thor and Banner, now!"

"They are already on their way," He assured her.

"Good. Tell Stark he needs to catch me." Then she preceded to fling herself out the window.

* * *

Pepper was a mixture of tired, irritated, and pleased when Loki finally took her back to Malibu, and it was all Doom's fault. The man was more annoying than dealing with Tony. He only deigned to speak to her when he was forcing her to train, was unaccountably rude, and was liked enough by Loki that whenever she tried to attack him, the god stepped in the way. Loki himself had become easily tolerable to her, but she wasn't certain if that was due to some likability on his part or just that he was better by comparison.

"Finally!" Pepper exclaimed as she fell onto the couch.

Loki chuckled. "You've done very well," He told her.

She huffed. She was not in the mood to be praised for what was half Loki's fault. Loki still was chuckling at her and she lifted a vase from the table and tossed it at him. He caught it easily. "Don't laugh at me! You haven't been training all week with a virus in your system trying to turn you into a fireball."

"No, can't say that I have," Loki replied with a smile. "Shall place the fire proofing on the rest of your clothes?"

"Please," She said.

"Excuse me, Sir Loki," Jarvis' voice interrupted. They both froze, Pepper sitting up straighter on the couch and looking uncertainly at the god.

"Yes," Loki replied cautiously.

"Sir is rather in need of assistance," Jarvis informed.

"Tony's in danger?" Pepper questioned.

"What is endangering him?" Loki asked.

"Mister Svadilfari has returned," Jarvis replied. "His plan seems to be to attack the Avengers until you come to him. Captain America is away on mission and the Hulk has been contained."

Loki froze for a moment as he took in the information, then he turned to Pepper, holding out his phone. "If you could do something for me, my dear, please call Doom and inform him of the situation."

"What are you going to?" Pepper questioned.

"Rescue Stark, of course," Loki told her, tossing her his phone.

"But-" Pepper didn't get to finish voicing her objections before Loki vanished. "Dammit!" She fumbled with the phone, recognizing it to be one of the ones made by Stark Industries. She paused a moment as she stared at it. "This model isn't even out yet!" She complained to herself as scrolled through the contacts for 'Victor.'

"What?" She was a little gratified that he answered Loki's phone call just as poorly tempered as he was when he talked to her.

"Loki told me to call you," Pepper said. "Tony's in trouble!"

"It's no concern of mine what happens to Stark," Doom replied tersely.

She could sense he was about to hang up when she blurted out quickly, "Loki went to help him! He's fighting that other alien asshole!"

Doom was quiet a moment. "Is that all?"

"I... yes," She answered through gritted teeth.

He didn't even say anything, just hung up the phone. Pepper let out a yell of frustration.

* * *

Natasha knew they weren't doing very well. Svadilfari was stronger than them, more powerful, and it showed. She couldn't fight him one on one, her widow's bite hardly did anything to him and he was physically stronger than she was. At most, she could be a distraction for the others as Svadilfari seemed to focus on her, but it wasn't doing them much good.

Hulk had been trapped in some sort of magical cage and Tony's suit had taken a lot of damage. Thor was the only one that could really do anything to him, but Svadifari had used his magic to continuously evade him.

"I tire of this hiding game, little one," Svailfari said from behind her as he grabbed her wrist. In the distance, she saw Iron Man falling in a flash of dark red magic. She spun around, trying and failing to pull her arm away from him.

"Let go!" She said fiercely. She unleashed the full force of her widow's bite, but his body barely jerked.

"She said, let go!" Hawkeye yelled.

Svadilfari turned in time to see the archer's arrow moments before it plunged into his eye. Svadilfari cried out, dropping her arm, one hand reaching for his injured eye. Natasha swiftly put distance between them. The Vanir pulled the arrow from his eye, covering the bleeding socket with one hand as he glared at the archer.

"Clint, run!" Natasha yelled.

Svadilfari teleported to the human and grabbed him with one hand, lifting him from the ground. "I tire of playing with you mortals," he said curtly, dark red magic gathering into his hand. In a flash and with a cry from Clint, the energy gathered by the mage tore through him. Svadilfari tossed the bleeding body of the archer to the ground, watching as he gasped out desperately. Svadilfari looked up to meet Natasha's eyes and smirked. "Yes, perfect," He told her. "I knew those eyes were meant for tears." The Vanir's body shifted into equine form and he reared up over Clint, but before the hooves came down he was knocked off course by Mjolnir.

The horse changed course to charge at Thor, but Natasha only had eyes for Clint. As soon as Svadilfari was gone, she was rushing to Clint's side. "No, no no no," She mumbled to herself as she ran over to him. She didn't notice that tears were in her eye as she fell to her knees at his side. He was bleeding everywhere, his body torn into by the harsh magic that had been unleashed. Her hands shook as she reached out for him. "No, no, no, no..."

His eye had already lost focus, his breathing harsh. He wasn't going to make it. She could tell that just by looking at him.

"I can't lose you, Clint! I can't!" She told him, holding on tightly. "I won't!"

For a moment, her body completely seized up and all the air rushed from her lungs, then she found herself blacking out.

* * *

Loki arrived in time to see Iron Man being blasted from the sky and made that his first destination, catching the heavy metal contraption as it fell. His eyes were scanning the battle field, taking note of where everyone was. The Hulk was trapped beneath an energy barrier, but Loki had no idea how long that would last. Thor was pulling himself from beneath a pile rubble, clambering out of the side of a building. Svadilfari's attention was being held by the Widow, and the Hawk's attention on him.

Everyone accounted for, Loki turned his attention to Stark. "Are you alright?" He asked immediately.

He heard a groan come from inside the suit before Iron Man replied. "Loki?"

"Yes. Are you in need of healing?" Loki questioned.

"I'm... fine. The others..."

Loki could hear the strain in the man's voice. They were too soft, too mortal, to take on Svadilfari. As if to emphasis that point, a cry from across the battle field caused Loki's attention to snap to Clint just as his body was being tossed onto the pavement, broken and bleeding. Loki's hold on Iron Man tightened. "You are to stay out of this battle," He said immediately.

"What?"

"Thor and I shall take care of the rest, you are too stay out of it."

Loki was still staring at Hawkeye's body when The Widow grabbed hold of him. He watched as her eyes began to glow and slowly, blood began drawing itself back into Barton's body. Iron Man had righted itself in his grip by now, also staring at the two Shield agents.

"Are you getting this, Jarvis?"

Loki couldn't hear Jarvis' reply. He watched as the Widow collapsed onto of Barton's body, snapping himself back to action. "Anthony, you are to take your comrade's away from this battle and you are to stay with them."

"What! No!"

"Do not argue with me!" Loki said, glaring sternly. "They are in no shape to defend themselves. Leave this to Thor and I." He glared just long enough to be certain there were no further arguments, then he teleported to where Svadilfari was.

The large, equine body was slamming it's hooves onto the ground as Thor narrowly rolled away from it, just in time to toss Mjolnir into it's side. Svadifari's body disappeared before hitting the ground, leaving Mjolnir to crash into the nearest building. When the horse reappeared behind Thor, Loki was already hitting it with a blast of green energy.

"Loki!" Thor called out as Mjolnir returned to his grip.

"Brother," Loki returned easily, eyes focused on Svadilfari.

Svadilfari focused on him in turn. "Little Prince, I was waiting for you." His entire manner became calmer as he returned to his normal form, a smile on his face. "Your mortal pets are not nearly so much fun. Though, the woman did have the loveliest expression when I broke her archer. Reminded me of how I would so love to see those eyes of your filled again with tears." Svadilfari's eye was a mangled mess, blood still running down that half of his face, but the man seemed no longer concerned with his own injuries, now that Loki was before him.

The sight of the man's smile made Loki sick. The sight of his injury brought Loki no comfort

"Do not speak to my brother!" Thor yelled fiercely, calling lightning to his hammer and turning it full force to the Vanir. The man seemed to actually be caught off guard as the force of the attack tore through him and tossed him off his feet.

Loki had to force himself to move, launching his own magical attack to the fallen man. This lasted only moment before Loki found himself being lifted off his feet and tossed into the side of a building. The impact dizzied him a moment and his eyes widened when his sight cleared to Svadilfari standing above him. Behind him, Loki could see Thor trying to wrestle down the freed Hulk. The beast didn't seem to be able to tell friend from foe.

"Finally alone, little prince," Svadilfari whispered. The man leaned forward to caress Loki's face and Loki cringed from the touch. Loki moved, either to fight or flee, but he was promptly stopped. Svadilfari's hands grabbed hold of him, one hand around his throat and the other fixed about his wrist. "Not this time." Svadilfari's grip on his throat tightened, cutting off is air, as the man leaned closer. "Did you think of me while I was away?" He asked softly. "I have been waiting for this moment."

Loki shut his eyes, resisting the urge to tremble, then he kicked out at the other man. Svadilfari only growled, moving closer. "Enough fighting! Submit to me!"

Loki kicked out harder this time and the man's grip lessened on Loki's throat. Then Svadilfari was crying out, hands leaving Loki completely, and Loki opened is eyes as he gasp in air.

Skurge had his axe buried in Svadilfari's back and all the man's angry attention was focused solely on the executioner. Loki blasted the man further away from him and Skurge went after him.

"Loki!" Amora called, running to stand beside him. She took hold of his hand and pulled him out of the indent in the wall. "Are you okay?"

"No," He answered quietly. "I am not." He swallowed down his fear as he asked, "How did you know?"

"Doom called me," She answered him, turning back to face the battle.

Thor was still restraining the Hulk, the beast seemed as likely to attack Svadilfari as Skurge. The executioner had lost his axe, thrown across the battle field as Svadilfari, once more in his equine form, charged at the man.

"We need to do something about that," Loki said, indicating his brother and the Hulk. "Do you think you can contain him?"

Amora's lips thinned, put out by the idea of working with Thor just now, but she nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Loki nodded in return, conjuring daggers into his hands and running toward Svadilfari. The horse was preoccupied with Skurge, so Loki was able to easily teleport onto the others back and shove his daggers into his side. The horse reared up so fast Loki was immediately jolted to the ground. He returned quickly to his normal form, hands clasped to the wounds as healing magic quickly washed over him. The glare he gave Loki was as hate filled as he'd ever seen from the Vanir and it was more terrifying than all of the smiles the man had offered in the past.

Before Svadilfari could do anything more, two metal hand were clamping around his arms, two more wrapping around his neck. The two Doombots moved slowly into Loki's view as they held the man temporarily still. He gathered dark red energy into his hand and destroyed the two that were on him just in time for Loki to run up to him and slam his dagger into the man's other eye. Svadilfari let out an inhuman cry, immediately blasting Loki away from him and then releasing more energy on anything remaining in the surrounding area before removing the dagger from his eye and covering the wound.

Then the Hulk was behind him, eyes glowing green, as he grabbed Svadilfari and pounded him into the ground. Amora stood not far off, looking taxed, Thor on her other side looking between the her and the Hulk with unease. After tossing him into the ground a couple times, The Hulk released him, walking away and standing in place long enough for Amora to trap him within another barrier. The beast roared as soon as the green faded from his eyes.

When Loki's attention returned to Svadilfari, Doom was standing over him. The man reached down, lifting Svadilfari by his neck and squeezing tightly. Doombots approached from all sides, taking hold of Svadilfari's limbs and successfully restraining the Vanir as he struggled. Loki could tell that these were different from the usual Doombots, but that thought was quickly chased away as Doom lifted Skurge's axe.

"Doom does not suffer any harm coming to what is his."

Then he brought down the axe. It sank cleanly into Svadilfari's skull, stopping halfway. Doom released his neck, pulling the axe free, then brought it down once more on Svadilfari's neck.

Loki watched as the head fell to the ground, feeling his legs go out from underneath him. Dropping the axe, Doom lifted the head by it's hair and looked to Loki. "Nothing of mine shall want or fear," He told the god.

Loki had no words for the relief that filled him in that moment. Doom looked at him for a long moment before finally turning away.

"Enchantress. Come." Amora was staring at the head gripped in his hands just as Loki was, something almost like awe in her eyes when she turned to face Doom. Doom made a gesture towards Svadilfari's body as he added, "It comes, as well."

"Skurge," Amora said, almost absently.

The executioner moved to pick up the body, waiting for further orders. Amora's eyes remained on Doom as she approached. She averted her gaze for a moment to look to Loki. "Are you-"

"I will be fine," He told them, eyes still on Svadilfari's head. "I must check on Anthony."

Amora nodded, laying a hand on Doom and Skurge and teleporting them away. The Doombots were retreating, to where Loki didn't know nor was he inclined to care.

"Loki?" Thor called, but Loki couldn't worry about him just now either. He was, perhaps, in shock. Too many emotions to process were running through him, but he knew that he had to check on Anthony and almost on autopilot, he teleported to the mans side.

Tony had his face plate off, sitting top of a building and watching over The Widow and Hawkeye.

"Anthony," Loki said when he appeared, moving to the man's side. The man stood immediately, but Loki moved him back down. It only now occurred to Loki that he was probably a mess of battle roughness and blood, bruising around his neck and wrist, injuries both magical and not lining his body. "Are you alright? Do you need to be healed?"

"Are you alright?" Tony asked in turn.

Loki already had his hands on the sides of Anthony's face, streaming healing magic into him. It was only at this moment that Loki noticed he felt utterly exhausted. Every encounter with Svadilfari had left him drained, but knowing that this was the last he would have to suffer the man's presence... Loki still couldn't process it.

"No," Loki answered honestly. "I am not sure that I am. I..." Loki's words cut off as he felt something sink into his neck. Removing his hands from Tony, he reached up and pulled a dart from his neck. Looking behind him, he saw the Widow looking at him determinedly, despite the exhaustion he read on her. Mortals, breakable as they could be, were as utterly determined as they were foolish. "Was that really necessary?" He asked her, then he could feel him blacking out as he heard Tony yelling in the background.

"What the hell was that!"


	29. Champion To The Gods

Amora had her eyes focused on Doom as soon as they arrived back in the castle, unable to bring herself to look away from him. He looked glorious, holding fast to the head of his slain enemy, blood coloring his clothes; he looked powerful, he looked Asgardian. A returning conquer gloating over his spoils. Mage though she was, she was still Asgardian, battle and victory were still of the highest importance to her, even if she chose her battles a bit differently for herself. Still there was nothing more impressive than a mortal defeating a god.

Svadilfari had not been a god, but he was still much more than mortal and Doom had defeated him. She couldn't call herself unimpressed.

She had teleported them directly into his lab, knowing that was where he would wish to deposit his spoils. Skurge was behind her, holding the body, her awareness of his slipping further from her mind as he placed the body on one of the work tables. Her mind was almost on auto as she cast a spell to hold the body in stasis for a time, an accompaniment to a healing spell when time was a commodity one did not have, but there would be not healing here. Just time.

"Here, let me..." She said, reaching out toward the head and casting a replica spell, halting Doom's actions as he prepared a container for the head. "Magic will be better," She told him. She didn't know what inefficient methods mortal had for such things, but she was certain nonetheless.

He didn't question her on the matter, though she half expected he would, he just laid the head aside.

"Skurge, leave me," She said dismissively as she approached Doom. She couldn't see his expression under the mask, but she was used to that by now.

"Enchantress?" He addressed her with curiosity.

"Those Doombots were stronger than usual, to hold Svadilfari, even for so short a time," She said. "You were prepared for this."

"Of course," Doom replied. "I tested their strength against your pet when you allowed me use of him and I had them laying in wait in the city for when I would need them."

The feelings that she had at this moment had nothing to do with her godhood. She wasn't being moved by the forces that moved her. It was an odd realization, but Doom's display called to her on a completely different level. He was watching her steadily as she approached him, no doubt giving her a look that she couldn't see beneath that mask, but he didn't move as she slid her arms around his neck. Not to embrace her and not to move away.

"I would have you for what you've done," She said in a husky whisper.

"What have I done?" She couldn't tell if it was arrogance that made him ask, trying to goad her into complements, or if he was trying to be coy with her. The latter would certainly be a surprise, as Doom was not one to be anything other than absolutely arrogant, but that thought was fleeting. She was willing to play his game, whichever one it was.

"Slayer of Gods!" She whispered in praised. "Champion to Gods! To, as a mortal, have destroyed a creature that should be beyond you..."

"Nothing is beyond Doom," He replied confidently.

"Perhaps not," She conceded easily. "Still, you fought well for your gods. You have slain our enemies. You are victor this day," She said with a smile. "I would lay with you, God Slayer."

Doom seemed oddly hesitant as he placed his hands on her hips, poised to push her away as likely as to pull her in. "Why?" The question seemed odd of him. He had no hesitancy before when she fell upon him. Though thinking of it, that was perhaps because he had the answer to this very question. The answer was very different this time, though she had no idea if he would know it or not.

"Because I want you," She answered.

"My mask stays," He told her.

Disappointing, but not unexpected. And not as disappointing to her as it might otherwise be. She smiled wickedly at him. "As you wish."

Doom likely thought his mask would protect him. There would be no protection from her. He could have his armor, but it wouldn't help. It wouldn't hold. But this wasn't about breaking him open, as she did before, this was... something else. Something more. Doom had killed a demigod and she wanted him. To lay with this mortal, this God Slayer, because she wanted to lay with him.

Amora didn't realize why this was so different than the other times she'd desired others.

* * *

Loki woke to find himself contained in the Hulk's glass cage, reminiscent of the last time he was in Shield's custody. His hands were trapped in manacles that resembled those Thor had taken him home in, but without any magic reducing properties, he could escape them fairly easily. It was rather amusing to see the mortals attempts at replicating their technology, but they knew so very little about magic.

Loki settled in to wait for the appearance of Director Fury or one of his agents. It was a little overdue that he have a talk to Shield. The mortals were lingering under the mistaken opinion that Loki didn't want to be here and he would try to correct their opinions, resistant as he knew they would be to all his efforts.

Loki wasn't waiting long. Fury strode into the room, wearing his intimidation like a cloak as he stared Loki down. "Director Fury," Loki greeted pleasantly. "If you wanted a meeting, there are easier ways to go about it."

Fury rose an eyebrow at that. "And what way would that be?"

"Well, for one, you could talk to Thor," Loki answered. "He doesn't know where to find me, but I usually find him."

"Is that suppose to be a comfort of some sort?" Fury questioned.

"Just informative," He corrected. "I assumed that is the purpose here, Director? Information."

Fury glowered at him a bit longer. Loki waited. The mortal thought that he was controlling the situation, but Loki wouldn't let him. If he lets the mortals think they can control him, they will be less likely to accept his help and concede to his wisdom.

Eventually Fury gave in to his desire to speak. "What do you hope to accomplish here?"

"I am here for one reason, Director, and that is to help your people. Danger comes to your realm and I intend to do what I can to offset it."

"You are a danger to my planet," Fury responded immediately.

"I don't expect that you will believe anything that I have to say, but in the interest of co-operation, I will say what I have to regardless. I am here for the protection of your realm. I realize that I have caused problems here in the past and I wish to make amends for those mistakes. But those mistakes were not because I chose your realm. It was chosen for me and I was only following the orders of my king as they were given. Now that I am not, I plan to correct my previous mistakes where I can. My leaving will not make your people safer, only more vulnerable and you cannot afford to lose allies."

"And how do I know that you won't decide to turn tail and head right back to daddy dearest?" Fury demanded. "You really expect me to believe that you followed his orders all your life and you suddenly decided that you no longer want to play his game?"

"You believed it of Agent Romanov," Loki replied softly, steadily. "You took in Agent Barton. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of your agents were someplace less desirable before they came to you or you came to them. And you assume that this was sudden, but it was not."

"I know my agents, that's why I trust them."

"You believe that you can control them," Loki corrected, "That is why you trust them. You steal them away so that there is no where else that they can go, rescue the ones that already had no where else, trap them with debt and gratitude and desperation. I do not fault you for it, Director, but do not pretend. I find I have little tolerance for it at the moment."

"That's rich. The God of Lies demanding honesty."

"That is not my domain."

"You're in no position to demand anything from me, honesty or otherwise," Fury spat harshly.

"You have your agents very well trained, Director. Even with the way you've been pushing Romanov, she still delivered me to your doorstep after I saved her and her comrades lives. Agent May remains loyal despite how you prod into her. Agent Coulson remains silent despite watching so many under his command being torn into, torn to shreds. Even Agent Barton, after all you've done, had remained faithful... until someone else offered him a place. You'll lose Romanov the same way, you realize? The Avengers, no matter what else they are, hold themselves to higher standards than Shield. I think your agents will start to crave life outside the shadows once they've gotten a taste of it."

"Don't think you can tell me how to treat my agents!"

"I am telling you how you have already treated them," Loki corrected.

"You said that you were here to help, but all you seem to be doing is watching us," Fury responded. "How did you find out all this information and what do you plan to do with it? It doesn't seem like you're helping much to me."

"You have your sources and I have mine," Loki replied. "It would not due to know so little of those I wish to ally with and I would not make much of an ally if I could not prove myself. Of course, one should not turn allies away so easily in the first place."

"I don't need advise from the likes of you."

"Clearly you need it from someone," Loki replied. "You stand there throwing stones at me, but you fail to realize that you have turned your own organization into a glass house. My intention here, Director, is to help. To right my own wrongs. I don't need anyone else to tell me about them. But you mortals are all so arrogant and blind, you think that you are the pinnacle of righteousness. You are not. You think yourself better than accepting my help, but you also fear me because I am out of your control. You would do well to get over yourself." He broke himself out of the restraints placed on him and teleported outside of the Hulk cage, standing right in front of the other man. "It is my intention to help, but I refuse to be under another's control for any reason. Not again. Whether you chose to accept my help is up to you, but do not think I will bow to you because of it."

Loki decided to take his leave then. If the man wasn't really willing to listen to him, there was no reason to continue speaking.

* * *

It was strange to Tony that Thor was the calmer one between the two of them. Tony hadn't known Thor long, but he knew that the God wasn't the calm type. He was a God of Thunder, after all. He couldn't be calm. And yet, Thor was the one to keep Tony calm when Shield took Loki, the one that talked him down from going off on the Widow. "Loki can take care of himself," Thor had assured him. "He is not in danger from mortals."

Tony chose not to take offense to what Thor was implying with that statement. His priority was Loki at the moment, worrying about Loki. He was ignoring the strangeness that Black Widow had pulled on Hawkeye, was choosing not to call her on handing Loki over (it would give away their connection, anyway), was restraining himself from storming Shield. Well, Thor was restraining him, but he wasn't trying to argue semantics.

"What do you mean he's gone!" Tony yelled at Jarvis. "Find where he went! Track his phone."

That was when Loki teleported into the room and Jarvis promptly replied, "Sir Loki has arrived."

"Thanks, Jarvis," Tony replied. He turned to Loki. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Brother!" Thor exclaimed, wrapping the slim man in a tight embrace. "I am glad to see you well!"

"You already knew that I was well," Loki replied with an eye roll.

"That is not what I meant, brother," Thor said more quietly. "I am glad that we have emerged victorious. Your champion served you well."

Loki closed his eyes, accepting the embrace and taking the opportunity to finally breathe. Svadilfari was dead and gone and could no longer touch him. He was... safe... Not unscathed, but protected. Loki's eyes found Tony's across the room. The mortal was watching him and Loki watched back.

"Champion to the Gods," Loki said, "But not my own."

"I am glad that you have found allies here, Loki."

"Yes," Loki replied, taking a step out of the circle of Thor's arms and holding his hand out to Tony. "Anthony."

Tony didn't think about taking Loki's hand, being pulled into his embrace and kissed. He was too busy thinking how relieved he was to see Loki again, that he was okay. When he pulled away, he said quietly, "Pepper was worried."

"Well, you shall have to give Miss Potts my apologies, then," Loki answered with a smile. "Where is The Widow?"

"With Shield. It didn't seem like she planned to tell them about... whatever that was. Probably a late reaction to Magneto's Extremis injection."

"Hmm, I see," Loki replied. "Something to worry about later, what this new ability of hers is and how it can be used."

"You should relax, Loki. Tonight, at least, everything is fine."  
Thor was watching them curiously, a look between happiness and contemplation. "I'll leave you to rest, then. We should speak soon, Loki."

"Yes," Loki answered. He turned to Tony. "Will anyone be interrupting us here?"

"No. I'll make sure no one does. Jarvis?"

"I'll make certain that no one is allowed up," Jarvis replied.

"Good."

Tony took Loki's hand. "Stay here, tonight."

Loki smiled. "As you wish, my mortal."

* * *

There were things they needed to talk about. This should all be too much between them, too fast, too unruly and messy and uncontrolled. Too Loki. There were lines that were unknown; Loki's trust (or lack thereof), his plans; unspoken complications and no boundaries to speak of. Loki wanted everything, had already admitted to as much, but it was unclear what he'd be giving in turn.

Loki was complicated. He was a god. He was a hero and a villain, a man and a woman (and sometimes not even that), he was more than the sum of his parts.

There were a lot of things they needed to talk about.

Tony didn't want to talk, though. Planning was never really his strong suit. He was much better at action, immediate and spontaneous. Loki was here, was his, and that was important. Tony had always hated talking anyway.

"Let's play a game," Tony said to the god, lining up and filling a couple shot glasses on his bar. "Twenty questions."

Loki smiled at him as he wandered over, remembering the last time they did this as Tony was. Tony was rather bad at using words to say what he meant, so he didn't use words. Loki, he suspected, was too good with words. The god could make them mean whatever he wanted and that usually meant he turned them into a trick. If he started with the trick, though, started with a game, Loki could tell the truth. It had worked well enough last time.

"I have an extremely high tolerance," Loki told him, same as the first time they had tried this.

"Then you can take two shots to start," Tony told him. Loki grinned as he downed two shots, wild and joyful, where before he'd been curious and cautious. And a woman. Tony wondered why it was so easy to want Loki, so easy for Loki to want him. God of Change, Loki had told him, a being of creation and destruction, and that thought alone resonated so well with Tony that he wants at just the thought of it.

"Since I am already at a disadvantage, I shall have the first question," Loki told him.

"Go for it," Tony answered.

"What are you thinking, Anthony? Right now?"

"Wondering why it's so easy to want you," Tony told him.

Loki looked away a moment as he answered, "That is because I am a god."

"Untrue," Tony told him. "I don't feel this way for Thor or Amora. Penalty shot. It's a rule."

Loki gave him a wry look, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of is lips. He took the requested shot before correcting himself. "It's because I am your god."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. Loki continued.

"Creation and destruction, chaos and change. Mischief. Everything you are falls under my domain. You were made for me. To worship me. To be mine. More than any mortal I've known in ages." Loki's eyes sparkled as they watched Tony, but he could read the hesitancy in them as well. "Everything you are calls to me, makes me want you, and you feel the same. Why you would want me beyond that, I could not say."

"I could," Tony replied. He didn't say more, though. The look on Loki's face told him that he didn't have to. The god eyes met his head on and Tony could tell that he was remembering what he'd said the other times. It hadn't changed. He wanted to take Loki apart more than before, if that was possible, get inside the god's head. Study every component and fix the broken pieces. "My turn," Tony said. "Why won't you believe that I want you?"

Loki seemed to still at the question. His hand hovered near the shot glasses. Tony decided to preempt him.

"If you don't want to answer, you take a shot, but you have to answer anyway."

"I believe you are making these rules up as you go along, mortal," Loki said, smiling through his nervousness.

"You think I'd do that?"

"One question at a time," Loki responded, downing his shot. Tony began to refill the glasses to give Loki a moment to gather himself. His voice was soft as he began to speak. "In Asgard, everything that I am is undesirable. A male that practices magic is looked down upon, my statue as compared to Thor's makes me seem weak, my propensity for mischief for makes me untrustworthy, and being a catalyst for change makes me dangerous. No one has ever wanted me, only what I can do, and sometimes barely even then. Not even fa... Odin wanted me except for what I could do, what I could be, a pawn in his game with the nine realms."

"Asgard can go fuck itself," Tony said strongly, startling Loki into looking at him again. "You're on Earth now and I don't care what anyone says, they can't have you back. Asgard doesn't matter, doesn't have to matter. I want you. I want you here. You even have your own evil little family now or whatever in Doom's lair. It doesn't matter what Asgard thinks. That place sounds ass backwards anyway and if they don't want to change, you can just stay here and we'll renovate Earth together. This place is always changing."

Loki's eyes looked suspiciously bright for a moment before Loki blinked it away. He reached out for Tony's face, holding it between his palms like Tony was something precious as he kissed him. "I will change everything you know," Loki whispered against his lips.

"Maybe I could use some change," Tony replied.

Loki smiled, but his eyes grew serious. "I am a monster, Anthony, by both birth and deed. In the All-father's name I have committed atrocities. Betrayal and lies and death, things you can't even..."

"I don't care," Tony told him. "You aren't doing anything for that asshole anymore, you said that yourself. And that doesn't make you a monster."

Loki pressed another kiss to Tony's lips before pulling away. "Will you tell me about your monsters, Anthony?"

Tony took a deep breath. "That would take more than a few shots."

"I am not going anyway tonight, Anthony," Loki told him. "And I will be here as long as you need. You belong to me, my mortal, and I want everything. Starting with tonight, but continuing indefinitely."

Tony felt a shiver go through him at the words, at the look in Loki's eyes, at the feel of the god's hands still on him. He felt claimed, kept. Safe. Looking into Loki's eyes, he knew there was nothing he could do to scare off the god. No matter how broken he was, or that he was bad at talking, or that he ruined every attempt at a relationship before now. This... him and Loki, wasn't the same. Even if Tony didn't know exactly what it was.

Tony closed his eyes. There was something unbelievably reassuring in belonging to a god. Solid. Loki was a god of change, Tony was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to break that. Hell, Odin had already tried and failed. Svadilfari had tried and failed. Thor had probably tried, inadvertently, and failed. They would take each other apart.

Destruction and creation.

Only he was pretty sure that he couldn't break Loki.

He opened his eyes and stared into Loki's. "I trust you."

The way Loki's eyes lit up, Tony thought that perhaps those words meant more than if he had uttered a different three word phrase.

Loki kissed him again and this time didn't let go.

Whatever they needed to talk about could wait until morning.

* * *

**A/N:** The Sequel to this segment is called **Gathering Moss.** Still a long way to go before this series is complete.


End file.
